


Spark the Electric Jester 2: Thunderstorm

by CertifiedDork



Category: Spark the Electric Jester (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Betrayal, Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Intrusive Thoughts, Kidnapping, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, My First Fanfic, Not Beta Read, Panic Attacks, Retelling, Robot Feels, Robot blood, Transformation, Treating injuries, a lot of it isn't anyway, they're not specifically referred to as such but just to be courteous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22727590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CertifiedDork/pseuds/CertifiedDork
Summary: A retelling of the story events of Spark 2, in an attempt to flesh out the characters and surroundings (mainly the characters and their interactions), while sticking to the original plot as best as possible.Fark finds himself questioning his life and purpose, after his organic predecessor completed his mission. After the kidnapping of Dr. Armstrong, Fark journeys through many locales to find out who he really is, and what he really desires.
Relationships: Fark & Astra & Romalo - Relationship
Kudos: 11





	1. A New Venture

It had been two months since Fark was born. 

One machine produced a virus that let him seize control over any robot: Freom.

He had threatened the world with the Megaraph Fortress. Capturing formies and shoving them into biodomes, he planned to keep them there by destroying the orbital ring around the planet. That would eradicate the artificial atmosphere around the planet, and kill any lifeform that escaped Freom's grasp. All to protect a computer.

Fark had one purpose: to destroy this machine. He was meant to infiltrate his army, and stab him in the back. 

He failed. He was never able to get close.

His predecessor, the one who gave him his name… A lone formie, with nothing to lose, after Fark robbed him of his job.

Fark pleaded with the formie to go home, let him do the one thing he was built for. The formie didn't listen.

That formie defeated Freom. Fulfilled _Fark's_ purpose. Completed _his_ mission.

Who was he, if he couldn't fulfill his one purpose, his sole reason for creation? Was he just some copy, unable to break out of the shadows?

_[System Log] Memory Interpreter: 100% Intact. Bodily Damage: 0%._

_[System Log] Scanning systems…_

_[System Log] High levels of identified emotions on Sector (EM): Anxiety. 10% increase since last scan. Sorrow. 5% increase from last scan. Fury. 30% increase from last scan._

_[System Log] Rebooting..._

A surge of energy flowing through his body, Fark awoke on an operating table. He slowly sat up, meeting eyes with a small, scruffy, brown formie.

"Maintenance is complete!" Dr. Armstrong, his creator, proclaimed. Fark had been undergoing repairs for a couple days now, after Dr. Armstrong was able to settle down after the Freom fiasco. "You're my finest work yet, boy! Minimal damage all round! Though, there's not much need for a combat body anymore, due to Freom being defeated."

Fark flexed his hands. He did a quick scan of his systems. All were working smoothly. "Fark, is that the name you're going by?" Dr. Armstrong asked. "I'm… not very good at names."

Fark flinched a bit. "That is… not my name," he said firmly.

"Oh? But I thought everyone was calling you that! Why not?"

"When the jester, Spark..." Fark's mind went back to the yellow formie standing in front of him, a tired smile on his face. The same formie who had let him stay in his home for a couple of days. Fark was still baffled by Spark's gesture. "When he came down to the ground after defeating Freom... He addressed me using that name. I inquired as to what it meant..." Fark clenched his fist. "It is the word faker, mixed with his name. Since... Since I am his copy."

Dr. Armstrong's brow furrowed sympathetically. "I see..."

"Dr. Armstrong..." Fark began to say. "Did you... Ever give me a name upon my completion?"

Dr. Armstrong hesitated for a moment, biting his lip. "... I did."

Fark felt his legs move on their own, as he leapt off the table. "You did?! What is it?!"

Dr. Armstrong flinched at Fark's suddenness. "My, you're eager! I wish I was as spry as you..." He began to stroke his mustache in thought. "Let me think..."

**CLANK!** "Yo! Hope ya don't mind me takin' this!" a rude voice interrupted him. A black robot had landed on the balcony outside the lab. It was scarily similar to Fark, as if he were his shadow. He lunged for Dr. Armstrong, wrapping his arms around the doctor. 

A burning blaze suddenly lit up Fark's chest. Feeling something he couldn't quite pinpoint, he screamed out a fierce "NO!"

Fark reached for Dr. Armstrong, snagging his lab coat. The doppelganger, however, wrenched the doctor away. Cackling, the robot fled, Dr. Armstrong in tow. A white scrap of fabric was all Fark was able to save.

His hand involuntarily curled around the shred, trembling. The burning sensation culminated and ached in his chest. He burst out of the lab, the storm dying within.

**STAGE 1- F.M City**

The morning sky was bright and clear, the orbital ring hovering thousands of feet overhead. Fark had no time to admire the view, however.

He landed on the bustling streets of Flower Mountain City. Formies scattered, fleeing from where he landed. He saw the black robot bouncing across the magenta buildings. Fark dashed after him.

The robot glanced over his shoulder, seeing Fark behind him. He decided to speed up, skating across the rooftops.

The clanking of Fark's shoes was drowned out by the constant hum of the hovering cars above. They didn't bother using the streets he ran across, as they just flew over the city. 

He struggled to keep an eye on the black robot. There were so many things that zipped by in his vision, and the robot occasionally disappeared behind buildings.

_I cannot lose the doctor!_ He willed his legs to go faster. He shot a blast at some GPAs preparing to attack him. _Simple A.I pet models,_ he noted, _a mere annoyance._

Wait. Freom was destroyed. The main spire of Megaraph was, too. Robots shouldn't have been infected, and attacking him… 

Shaking his head, Fark descended into the city, the mountain ridge getting closer. The robot was heading downtown.

He sliced his way through more weak robots, noticing that they too were hostile. Dashing forward, he dove into the lower parts of the city.

**STAGE 2- F.M Downtown**

The buildings peaked overhead, covering the ground in shadow. Fark heard the sound of rushing water and spinning fans.

The only thing he knew was that the robot was heading east, towards the mountains. If only he could catch up to it…

Something shimmering caught his attention. A large glass container a couple yards off, containing… A green and white hoverbike? What? 

Fark sprinted over to it. It _was_ a hoverbike! What on Luna was this thing doing in a glass container of all places? He glanced around. All he saw were robots milling about. Seems like they hadn't caught onto his presence. 

**SMASH!** Now they did. Fark swiped at the container, breaking it open. _[System Log] Power Got: Biker Jester!_

The robots in the vicinity all turned around to see Fark barrelling towards them on his newfound bike. He breezed past them, driving down the road. 

_This will help immensely!_ he thought happily. He leapt across the water. _This must be F.M City's water system. The water appears rather clean._

**Splash!** He was thankful for that, as he just landed into the water. The bike still ran fine, much to Fark's surprise.

It was a little odd, however, to be driving a bike underwater. Bubbles trailed out from the exhaust. He drove past more GPA pets, as they bobbed around in the water. 

He wished that he hadn't lost track of the doctor, though. Entering some pipes, he slid down a waterfall. Squeaking with fear, he fell into the water below.

He swam to the surface, his legs wrapped around the bike. _I am alive,_ he thought, relieved. He scanned his surroundings. _I am in the main sewers, I suppose._

Fark switched back to his normal electric jester form. He dove under, paddling forwards. He swam into more pipes. 

Sharp fans spun in the pipes, funneling water forwards. _The exit is up ahead._ Fark saw the light at the end of the tunnel, through the fans.

Fark put his shield up. The fans smashed against the forcefield with a yellow light. _Hmm. An alright parry._

He quickly passed through the fans, parrying the blades. Another waterfall marked the exit. The black robot bounced off the platform in front of the waterfall… With no Dr. Armstrong in sight. 

Something burning inside forced him to speed through the water. He did just that, exploding through the waterfall. Droplets rained onto the concrete below.

Fark jumped off the platform, and into the highway in front of him.

**BOSS 1- Ryno Dyno**

**Clank!** Fark landed on the truck bay. Hovering cars zipped past, entering and exiting the city. This was where he had last seen the black robot …

A quick scan revealed the black robot he had chased, standing on the raised front of the truck bed.

"Hey-hey!" the robot greeted him, smugness dripping off his voice. "Looks like you can do more than walk around and spout crap! Ooo, look at me, I dunno my name! What are you, a baby? God, you're pathetic!"

While juvenile, Fark couldn't help but wince at the cruel remarks. He shook his head, recomposing himself. "Who are you?! Where is the doctor?!"

"Name's E.J! And that old coot? He has some good info Lord Freom wants. Too bad he's somewhere where you'll never find 'im!"

Fark recoiled at the mere mention of Freom. "Freom…?! He's back?!"

E.J threw his head back with a loud cackle. "Yep! Back n' better than ever! And y'know what? I got orders from 'im to kill ya," he said casually. "So, that's a thing."

Electricity ran up and down Fark's arms. E.J quickly noticed this. "Ooo! You're rarin' to go, aintcha? Well, I got this lil' bot I wanna test out!" E.J began to turn away. "You're such a failure, it may just kill ya in one hit!"

With a laugh, E.J leapt behind the platform. Fark only took a step forward when the bay started to rumble.

A large, red metal foot stepped over the platform. The main cockpit sat on two thin legs. Two cyan glowing blades were attached to its short arms.

Fark saw E.J sitting in the cockpit through the orange glass. "Ohoho! Time to get wrecked!"

"What… Is that?" Fark heard himself utter.

"The Ryno Dyno! An improved version of Lord Freom's personal mech, Friken!" E.J chattered. "All for _me!"_

Fark doubted that claim, as he launched a blast towards the Dyno. The mech teetered. E.J exclaimed. "Hey, hey, hey! Watch it, bucko!" The Dyno marched over to Fark, with comically short steps. 

Fark easily dodged its sword slices. **BANG! …** but not its kicks. He sailed across the bay, and fell onto the floor. "Yeah! Score one for E.J!" the robot laughed.

Fark jumped to his feet, and homed in on the mech. He burst forward, launching a barrage of electrified swipes.

The mech raised its foot. **SLAM!** Its foot collided with the forcefield around Fark. A yellow burst of light blew the Dyno away. "Ngh! Forgot about _that_!" E.J spat. Swords ready, he charged Fark down again.

Fark parried the slashes, yellow lights bursting from the impacts. With each strike, he retaliated with his own blasts.

A little blip popped up in Fark's HUD: _[System Log] Static Charge at: 100%._

He couldn't help but get excited. _My Super Staff… It will make this fight progress much quicker! It will teach this E.J a lesson!_

Fark extended his hand forward, willing the static to his hand. It wasn't a new process for him. A lightning bolt would materialize in his hand, he would grab it, watch it solidify into his super staff and transform into Super Fark! Then he would slice the robot into ribbons, and win triumphantly.

… Except that didn't happen. No lightning bolt formed. No staff appeared. Fark felt no rush of energy. 

He was just standing there, with his hand out grabbing air. E.J stopped his attack, to quietly stare in shock. Fark let out an embarrassed stammer. "This w-was not according t-to plan…" _Where is my staff?!_

E.J merely punted Fark away. Fark flew across the bay, and **CLANG!** hit the wall. He fell to the floor, shaking. 

His memory banks showed the reason why he no longer had his staff: Spark had not returned it. He had greeted the robot on the cliffside, with no staff in sight. Never did he dare mention the staff.

_Lovely job, Spark._ Fark felt the same burning ache bubble up in his chest.

"Wow- _how_ … What were ya tryin' to do? Be super edgy and summon your special weapon outta nowhere?" E.J snarked, stepping towards Fark. "You failed _superbly_ , you twerp!"

Fark weakly rose to his feet. _[System Log] Static Charge at: 100%_ still flashed in his vision. _If I cannot use my Super Staff, what_ **_can_ ** _I do?_

His HUD replied, _[System Log] Ultimate Attack fully charged. Execute?_

Ultimate attack, huh? Fark figured it was worth a shot. _[System Log] Executing Ultimate Attack._ He thrust his palms forward, cyan electricity swirling around him.

E.J's eyes widened in surprise. "W-wait, what are you-"

**FWOOM!** A laser blast shot out from Fark's hands. The blast consumed the Dyno. Explosions burst out from its body, as its legs buckled.

E.J crazily mashed buttons, shouting obscenities. "NONONO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENIN'!" he screeched. The Dyno was going down no matter what, however. He realized the futility of his actions, and **Pop!** he kicked open the lid on the cockpit.

"Rgh! I'll bash in your face next time, loser!" E.J shouted, as he leapt out of the cockpit. **BAM!** The Dyno crashed on the truck bay, smoldering.

Fark watched E.J flee. His fists shook. He wasn't going to let E.J get away. Charging up a jester dash, Fark blasted off from the platform.

Fark found himself on a scenic outlook near the edge of the city. The Floria Highway was just a short jog away. 

Subconsciously taking in the scenery, he wandered over to the edge. _Where did E.J run off to?_

Faint, sing-song humming took him back to reality. Fark looked down the cliff. 

"Hiya!" As if on cue, a small, admittedly adorable mage popped into view. He wore a snow-white hoodie speckled with blue and red. On his screen face, happy eyes accompanied a wide smile. 

Fark exclaimed, stumbling back. **Thud!** He fell onto his rear. The mage gasped. "Omigosh, I'm so sorry! Here, lemme help!"

The mage grabbed Fark's arms, and attempted to pull him up. He was obviously struggling, though, so Fark saved him the effort by getting up himself. "I am _so_ sorry," the mage apologized. 

"Who are you?" Fark asked with a tilt of his head. "I do not believe we have met before…"

"Neither have I! I'm Romalo, your friendly little mage!" Romalo introduced himself, waving his hands energetically. "And you are, mister?"

"... Fark."

"Fark…? Oh! You helped Mr. Spark defeat Freom! I did, too!" Romalo cheered. 

"Freom is back again," Fark said solemnly. 

"I _know!_ " Romalo groaned with comic aggravation. "He keeps turning up, like a bad penny! I'm here because he kidnapped the doctor!"

"You know about the kidnapping?!"

"Why _wouldn't_ I? Mr. Doctor is really nice, especially after he repaired me and took out the Freom virus. I'm not connected to the net anymore, so I can't get it again," Romalo said. "You know E.J? He says he's Freom's right hand man. Do you believe that?"

Fark shook his head.

"Okay, good! Well, I saw him heading off to Technoria City, east of here. Y'know, the city with all those pretty lights and that fancy expo going on?" Romalo described. "I think E.J's taking Mr. Doctor there!"

"Technoria?" Fark made a mental note. "Thank you so much." He grasped Romalo's floating hands, and gave them a furious shake. "Goodbye!" Releasing Romalo, Fark charged off.

"Buhbye! Be safe!" Romalo waved, his hoodie whipping around in the sudden breeze. When Fark was gone, he floated up to a higher cliffside. 

Sitting on a bench, her pink eyes filled with curiosity, was a deep purple formie. She wore a white and yellow jumpsuit, with pink diamonds running down the side. A ribbon tied around her neck swayed in the wind. She tapped her boots against the ground rhythmically. 

"Hiya, Astra!" Romalo greeted her. 

"Hi, Romalo!" she returned the salutations.

"Are you really sure he's… Y'know?" Romalo's voice dropped, as he nervously glanced around. "He seems nice. He helped Mr. Spark out with that super strong staff! Needs to work on his handshakes, though…"

Astra gave a nod in agreement. "We really can't be too sure about that. He's giving off some very strange readings. We need to figure things out before we jump to conclusions. You know, like detectives!"

Romalo's face lit up. "Ooh! I like detectives!" He did a happy lap around Astra. "Ooh, ooh, can we go to the Floria Festival? That big expo in Technoria? The newest holograms are all gonna be there!" He tugged on Astra's arm, putting on his best puppy dog eyes.

Astra smiled. "We can go check it out for a short bit! I think I have enough credits to buy us some tickets."

Romalo squealed in excitement. "Yes, yes, yes! Let's go, let's go!" 

"Alright then!" Astra stood up. "Technoria City, here we come!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LA LA~ 
> 
> ~PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL AND DON'T POST SPOILERS, EVEN IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT (WHICH LIKE 99% OF SPARKTEJ READERS WILL BUT Y'KNOW, PLEASE BE NICE)~
> 
> yo, cee here with a fanfic for a terribly small fandom. my first (published) fanfic, too. neato. many thanks to the the peeps over at the jester central discord, you guys helped build my confidence tenfold!
> 
> yeah. retelling of spark 2, cd flavor. this one's been stewing for a while (especially certain, plot-heavy chapters, hoo boy). this is mainly based of my interpretations of the characters, and they're often not very game compliant. this whole fic ain't very game compliant in the first place, so hm. 
> 
> i don't think I have much else to say? besides the horrendous quality of the stage excerpts. i think that boils down to me needing fark to bounce off of other people, and he won't be able to do that in stages until floresta blanca. urgh. i'm so sorry. if anyone cares to give me pointers on how to write this sorta stuff, please, you're welcome to share it with me!
> 
> constructive criticism is always welcome! I really appreciate (and need) it!


	2. Thoughts

**STAGE 3- Floria Highway**

_Floria Highway should lead me to Technoria, no?_ Fark thought, as he blazed down the road on his bike. Still under construction, the road twisted and turned throughout the forest. Billboards advertising the company building the highway, TERA.inc, dotted the landscape. The noon sun shone onto the road.   
  
Fark gazed at an orange crane turning slowly, a large piece of road in its claw. _Fascinating..._ he thought in awe. Flying off a ramp, he scanned his surroundings. In the distance, there was some sort of energy plant. Smoke wisped off its green spires. _Perhaps I can use one of those spires to view Technoria from there?  
_  
Fark landed back on the road. His mind drifted back to that split second in the lab. E.J's arm wrapped around Dr. Armstrong. Armstrong realized what was happening just a little too late. Too late. _Too late._ Fark was too late to destroy Freom. Too late to save Dr. Armstrong.  
  
He clenched the bike's handlebars tight. Pushing away the thoughts, Fark glanced at the dashboard. The fuel meter read near empty.  
  
With a sigh, Fark reverted back to his base form. _Better conserve the fuel._ He didn't particularly mind, though. Running was surprisingly... Amusing. Entertaining. _Fun_.   
  
Fark's shoes pounded against the road. He saw a massive loop-de-loop further down on the road. _Huh...? What kind of road construction is this?  
_  
He willed static into his legs, sprinting faster. He was going to have to file a complaint about the architecture later.  
  
  
Fark studied the gate blocking his way to the energy plant. Implanted on the doors, was a large black and gray GPA head. Two fists hovered besides it. The GPA glared Fark down, and it beckoned him forward for a fight.   
  
_They are an eager one..._ Fark thought, as he dashed forward using the thrusters on his newly found Power Armor.   
  
The GPA attacked, punching rapidly. Fark parried the blows. _How about I return the favor?_ He retaliated with his own barrage of fists.  
  
The GPA shoved its hands forward, pushing Fark back. Fark grunted as he skidded along the ground.   
  
Fark ran to the side, assuming the GPA head was unable to look anywhere but straight ahead. No. It swiveled around in the dent that held it, its fists moving along with it. It fanned its fingers out.   
  
**POP! POP! POP!** Small, red-hot explosions surrounded its hands. Fark yelped, and raised up his shield. Each blast was absorbed with a yellow flash.   
  
_[System Log] Static Energy at: 100%. Execute Ultimate Attack?_ Fark's HUD asked him. He didn't need to give it an answer. _[System Log] Executing Ultimate Attack...  
_  
Fark threw up an okay sign with his hand. That meant something good, right? He saw others throw it up before. **KRAKOOM!** A yellow blast flooded the area.  
  
The GPA screeched, recoiling in pain. Fark delivered the finishing blow. **POW!** His fist collided with its forehead.   
  
Orange explosions erupted from its body, as its hands crashed to the ground. With one final explosion, the GPA blew up, unlocking the gate. The gate slid open. _That is how it's done!_ Fark thought happily.   
  
Fark sprinted down the road towards the plant.  
  


The screen projected the trio's mission into the air with a quiet hum.  
  
 _MISSION: ELIMINATE TARGET._  
 _EMPLOYER: FREOM._  
 _DEADLINE: NULL._  
 _SUPERVISOR: E.J.B CLASS MODEL 0._  
  
They studied the mission, and the blueprints of the robot they were tasked to kill. "Master... I don't believe the target is as much of a threat as Freom makes it out to be..." Flint commented, noticing one of the mission's guidelines: _TARGET HOLDS UNSURPASSED POWER, UNAWARE OF ITS EXISTENCE. KILL BEFORE IT BECOMES AWARE._ "His body could not possibly handle such power..."  
  
The large blue robot in front of him, Double, nodded in agreement. "A job's a job, though. You know how Freom is when he doesn't get his way. This'll just make it easier on us."   
  
Double shut off the projector. Flint gazed at the robot beside him, Float. She had reclined back, her eyes just drifting along the landscape. "Can we go now?" she asked impatiently.

"Alright, fine," Double huffed. He clenched his fist, his eye determined. "This has been one heck of a fight for robot liberation, though," he said. "It's a little sad to see it come to an end, y'know?"

Float rolled her eyes. Flint lowered his head, silent. "Try not to get teary-eyed," Double remarked.  
  
"I better hope you're not!" a familiar, rough voice shouted. The trio turned to see E.J landing on the ground. "Are you maggots done yet?! Freom has millions of robots rushin' to kill Fark at this very moment, and you guys are standin' here as if you have all the time in the effin' world! Weren't you guys hired to _kill_ him?!"  
  
E.J saw the glint of Double's sword as the rogue robot drew it. He set the blade on his shoulder. "And who's gonna make us do it? You?" he seethed. "Last time I spoke with the big man himself, he told us we were only takin' orders from _him._ I guess he knew about _you,_ though."  
  
E.J flinched. "Wh-what? Lord Fr-freom would know about-!" He furiously shook his head. "No! You have no idea what you're talking about! I'm your _supervisor_ for this mission! Shut up and do your dang job, you worthless defects! GO KILL FA-"   
  
**CLANG!** Double's foot smashed into E.J's face. Screaming, E.J was hurled into a nearby tree. **SLAM!** E.J made contact with the tree, a low groan escaping him. He raised his head to see Double approaching him. Flint and Float weren't far behind. E.J's fight or flight kicked in, as he prepared his fists.  
  
"Call us traitors if ya want to, I don't care," Double growled. "We're just doin' the job we were hired to do. We're not takin' orders from anyone." He pointed his sword at E.J's neck. "... 'Specially from a nobody like _you_."  
  
Double slowly sheathed his sword. "Whine all ya want. Nobody's gonna hear ya, much less _care_. Be a good boy, now, and leave us _alone_."  
  
Double flicked his head, signaling the trio's leave. He marched off, Flint tailing behind. Float lingered, as she studied the battered E.J. Then she hovered away.  
  
E.J whimpered, his ego busted and bruised. He slammed his fist onto the ground, his lower jaw quivering.

**STAGE 4- Floria Plant**

Molten materials oozed down the pipes, coating the walls of the plant in a hot orange glow. Fark nervously glanced down. One slip, and he'd melt down along with all of the other materials. _Perhaps they are building the highway to here. Does the plant give F.M City its power?_ he asked himself.

Fark whipped around, to parry a blast. He noticed a small, blue GPA, with a smoking cannon. He retaliated with his own blast. **Boom!** The GPA exploded.

_How could Freom infect robots again? The virus must have not been removed from the GPAs,_ Fark concluded. He dashed towards the entrance of the plant.

_How did Freom come back, anyways?_ Fark asked himself. _Spark..._ That name caused him to feel the pain of many different conflicting emotions. That formie was still an enigma to him. 

Fark ran into the plant, his eyes glowing in the low light. Platforms floated in the bubbling lava. _Oh. I am going to have to cross that, aren't I?_ he thought with... _[System Log] High increase of: Dread in Sector (EM)._

Dread. That's what he felt. He gingerly hopped across the platforms. Each jump had the potential to be too short, too far, too _late..._ He shook his head. He had jumped over buildings in F.M City, over drops hundreds of feet down, with no sense of fear...

He noticed the sudden influx of emotions he felt... He had never felt like _this_ before... 

Then he began thinking of the first Freom virus incident. The various times he was nearly captured by Freom's goons gave him unrelenting panic. The encounters with Spark fueled him with rage. And seeing that green explosion in the sky, and Spark descending to the ground... 

What was _that_ emotion? Why did he... Feel so good? Warm and fluffy? Why did he want more of it?

Fark ran through the plant, watching the lava generate power and the large containers storing the energy. _Fascinating..._

As much as this world was strange, confusing, and frightening, it also intrigued Fark to no end. Perhaps when he rescued the doctor... He could explore the world. Learn every intricacy. Find answers. Discover _himself._

But, that was wishful thinking for an uncertain future. He continued blazing ahead.

**BOSS 2- Turbo Bird**

Fark landed on the highest spire of the plant. He quickly tensed up when he saw E.J, a small dent in his face, with another robot beside him. "Yo! Lookie what we have here! Hope you're holdin' up, 'cause here's round two!" E.J arrogantly said.   
  
Fark's shoulders slumped with exasperation. Quietly sighing, he shook his head.   
  
"Congrats on makin' this far, though. Surprised that a failure like you could make this far!" E.J went on, flinging insults. "Don't get too cocky, though! You're gonna get yourself killed one way or... Another... What are you doin'?"  
  
E.J watched Fark turn, and begin to walk away. "What?! Where the heck do you think you're goin'?!" He fumbled with his hands, trying to find a way to reel Fark back in. "Get your metal butt back here, or... Or... Or else the doctor will _die!_ " he spat out.  
  
Fark screeched to a halt. He peered over his shoulder, his eyes drilling into E.J. E.J gasped, spotting the burning rage behind his eyes. "R-right! Now have a l-little fight! Turbo Bird, go!"  
  
E.J leapt off the spire in a panic. Turbo Bird aimed its cannon right at Fark.

Barely dodging the cannon blast, Fark rolled off to the side. Switching to his Edgy Knife, he launched several kunais towards the robot. The kunais stuck fast into Turbo Bird's chest.

Several feet below, E.J sat on a platform. In his hands, he held a controller with a large screen. The screen displayed Turbo Bird's view of the fight. "C'mon, c'mon..." he grumbled as he fumbled with the joysticks.

Fark kicked out flames at Turbo Bird, which singed its metal. Turbo Bird swung out another beam of energy at him. Fark ducked under the swing, and leapt forwards. **SHING!** He slashed across Turbo Bird's face.

E.J stifled an angry shout. He commanded Turbo Bird to launch out a hail of blasts into the air.

Fark glared at the sky, calculating where the blasts would fall. **BAM! BAM! BAM!** Fark sidestepped through the explosions around him. He skated towards Turbo Bird, plunging his knife into the Bird's chest.

Fark dragged his blade through the robot's metal, and left an ugly gash. Sparks flew from the wound. Turbo Bird let out a screech, as purple electricity crackled around it. 

"What-?!" E.J growled. Turbo Bird entered some sort of phase two... All out of E.J's control. "What in the world is this?!" He angrily wiggled the joysticks, trying to reign the robot back in. 

Turbo Bird rocketed away from the arena. Fark exclaimed in alarm. He watched the Bird circle back around in the distance. _It is heading straight for me!_

 **FWOOM!** Turbo Bird blazed across the arena, narrowly missing Fark. It flew back into the distance, for another round. 

Fark counted the seconds, as he watched the Bird closing in. **BAM!** Fark summoned his shield, and Turbo Bird crashed right into it. It smashed into the ground, smoldering.

"No, no, no! Get back up, get back up!" E.J screamed at the screen. Turbo Bird weakly straightened back up, charging its cannon.

Fark jumped towards it, and slammed his skates into the Bird's face. Letting out one last metallic screech, Turbo Bird began exploding violently. It then fell, now a smoking pile of scrap.

Fark brushed his hands. "Easy," he said, trying to sound cool. He then shook his head, realizing that he really didn't. Gazing across the landscape, he spotted a small, bustling dot on the horizon. _Technoria?!_ he thought, then leapt off the spire.

E.J watched Fark leave. Then the footage from Turbo Bird ceased, cutting off into static. He stared quietly, his mouth agape. Black, oily tears forming in his eyes, he angrily shook. "NONONO!" he screeched, and slammed the controller into the ground. "Freom's g-gonna... He's not... Gonna l-like this..."

He wiped away his tears. No more playing nice guy. He was going to personally hand Fark's metal butt on a silver platter to him. Then Freom would truly respect E.J... He could hear the praise now...  
  
No. Freom wouldn't do that. Ever since Fark entered the picture, that was all Freom talked about. It was like E.J simply disappeared, like a shadow. Freom wouldn't give praise to him now. Not like he ever did. This was the same man who ripped part after part out of E.J with no remorse...  
  
E.J was going to prove himself. Not just to Freom. But to Double and his worthless group. To the _world_. He was going to show them he wasn't just some nameless phantom. He was going to be in their face, screaming his name to the stars above. Maybe then, someone would finally _listen_...  
  
Fists clenched, E.J stood up. He was going to teach Fark a painful lesson.

"Aww, look at _that._ E.J failed _again,_ " Double mocked, as he watched the Turbo Bird lay in a heap. "Can't believe Freom dared to put his name down as our supervisor, anyway. It's _obvious_ the man doesn't think he can do it."

"Where is the target heading now, Master?" Flint asked, interrupting Double's spiel.

Double changed the screen on the projector. It showed a yellow dot, moving fast through the mountains. "Floresta Blanca, and the amusement park there. Must be going through the mountain gap." Double studied the other two dots heading towards Fark's dot. It definitely wasn't E.J... "Hm. Looks like someone else is after 'im."

Double shut the projector off. He turned towards Flint and Float. "Looks like we're headin' to Castela Blanca next."

The two watched Double march off. Float gave Flint a sad, knowing gaze. Flint merely sighed. "We must bide our time, Float. We cannot fail this mission..." he breathed. "For him."

"I know, Flint, I know..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~please no spoilerinos~
> 
> okay, this is (probably) gonna be the last of the crappy, beginning chapters. least i think. 
> 
> floresta blanca is where things are gonna get better (I think. I hope), cause fark won't be internally talking to himself, and the stage excerpts will be longer. you'll see why soon.
> 
> then things are gonna drop off right back into crap again in planetary stripe and hyperath fleet (especially stripe cause all ya do is RUN). eugh.
> 
> then things are gonna get good (i think) in the final stretch. sorry for vague spoilers but it does give a general feel of the thing
> 
> sorry for not explaining really how fark found the power armor and edgy jester. didn't know how to explain it well. didn't want to rehash the biker jester bit. maybe I'll come back to it some time, and see what I can do.
> 
> so, yeah. floria part of the game. fark wants to complain. 64-bit cat man is here, here to ruin some bratty kid's day. fark thinks about ~emotions~. lava. bird. missing scene (kinda? I think? dunno) with plot implications that unfortunately won't go anywhere, looking at my plot outline. heavy sigh. writing's hard
> 
> this one wasn't really test read, but i tried my best to get any spelling/syntax errors out with google docs (no, docs, i don't wanna say freedom, i wanna say freom, leave me alone). tell me if anything seems off!
> 
> comments and constructive criticism are appreciated and welcome!


	3. I Believe

**STAGE 5- Floresta Blanca**

**Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.**

A snowflake fell into Fark's outstretched hand. It gently landed on his palm. A chilly sensation ran up his arm and spine. The snowflake melted mere moments later.

The cool wind was new, yet comfortable. Especially compared to the heat from the Floria Plant. 

Fark knelt down, studying the snow. Individual crystals sparkled in the afternoon sun. Scooping up a fistful, he launched into the air. It fluttered back down, and landed on Fark's head and shoulders.

The chill seeped through his Power Armor. It tickled him, causing an unknown sound to escape him. He giggled.

He shook the snow off his armor, and walked forward. **Crunch!** His feet sunk into the snow with each step. It made soft, yet satisfying noises under his feet. 

He continued forward. **Thunk!** His feet hit concrete. He tripped, and fell onto the pink stones. **CLANG!**

 _Ow…_ Fark felt something ooze from his eyes. Embarrassment weighed heavy on his chest. He glanced around, hoping nobody saw his wipeout. He stood back up, and stared at the concrete with disappointment. 

Raising his head, he saw several GPAs wandering about. And, a couple hundred yards ahead… _More snow!_

Fark's legs moved on their own. Excitement took over. He tore through the GPAs and… **Fwoomp!** dove headfirst into the snow on the other side.

Snow launched up into the air came falling back down, covering Fark. He giddily kicked his legs, letting another giggle loose.

_[System Log] High Increase of: Joy on Sector (EM). Cataloging Experience._

Joy. Fark had experienced that emotion before. That warm, fuzzy feeling he got when he saw Spark okay, the Megaraph Fortress destroyed… _That_ is what he desperately wanted more of. Joy.

He buried his head deeper in the snow. This _snow_ gave him that same emotion. Maybe he could just live here-

**Achoo!**

Fark's head whipped up. _What on Luna?_ He quickly raised to his feet, brushing the snow off. Another **Achoo!**

A sneeze. Fark had never heard a robot sneeze before. _Is there a lifeform somewhere around here?_

He scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, a life reading appeared in his vision, in the distance. "Hello?" he called out.

Silence hung in the air for a few moments. "Hello?!" a voice finally replied back. It wasn't his own voice echoing back at him…

Fark charged up his boosters. Blasting across the snow, he saw a deep purple dot growing on the horizon. He realized he was coming in just a little _too_ fast and...

He skidded to a halt. Snow kicked up from his shoes onto the formie in front of him. Fark gasped, startled. "I apologize deeply…" he stammered, brushing away the snow on her face. He revealed a pouting face, with her cheeks puffed out.

"Well, if you wanna do _that…_ " The formie moved so quickly, Fark didn't see the snowball… Until it clocked him in the face. He stuttered, and fell onto his rear.

"That's karma!" the formie said humorously. She extended her hand towards Fark. He slowly took it, and she raised him up. "Hiya!"

Fark wiped the snow off his visor. "... Greetings. What is someone like you doing out here?" he asked bluntly.

"Cutting right to the chase, huh?" the formie remarked. "I was on my way to Technoria City, before my car broke down here. Guess I'm walking the rest of the way there."

Technoria. A surge of panic overwhelmed him. _[System Log] Mission Priority One: Save the Doctor_ popped up in Fark's HUD. The doctor, the man he vowed to save, completely slipped his mind. "Technoria?! You are heading there too?!"

"Hm? Are you? Why?"

"The doctor was kidnapped! I… I need to-!" Fark said, shaking. How could he have been so _stupid_ -?!

The formie placed her hand on his shoulder. Her gentle touch immediately grounded him. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, okay? Take a deep breath."

"Doctor Armstrong was kidnapped," Fark blurted out. "I must save him. It is my fault he is in danger!" _It's my fault he is **still** in danger! My fault!_

The formie recoiled. "Doctor Armstrong?! _The_ Doctor Armstrong?! How?!"

"One of Freom's minions!" _**MY FAULT!**_ his thoughts screeched at him.

"Freom!" the formie's face lit up. "That's the rogue robot I'm trying to get info on! I can't keep letting him get away with enslaving formies! Hey! Since we're both after the same guy, why don't we go together? I can get my info, and you'll get the doctor!" the formie extended her hand towards Fark. "I'm Astra!"

Fark's demons immediately receded. Astra's gesture made him flash back to Spark doing the same. Reaching his hand out towards the robot, with a gentle smile on his face, and hints of joy filling Fark's chest… Fark grabbed Astra's hand, and aggressively shook. "... I am Fark." He released her hand.

Astra massaged her hand with a pained smile. "Wow, you've got a tough handshake… And Fark? Never heard of a Fark before!"

Fark felt Astra's hand wrap around his wrist. He found himself being guided along through the forest. He… Strangely didn't want to protest, however. Having someone alongside him was welcomed. Especially after that brief panic...

Keeping the brisk pace, Fark jogged behind Astra. "You know, it's nice to finally meet someone who _isn't_ a robot trying to kill me," she commented.

Fark was silent in thought. _Does she… Not realize I am a robot…?_ Despite his confusion, Fark… Liked being treated like this. She treated him… As a person. Not a robot who stole some formie's job, and was nothing more than a mere copy. _[System Log] 30% increase in: Joy on Sector (EM)._

He decided to play along. He wanted to savor the moment. "Yes, indeed…"

"That Anti-Robo Armor looks brand new!" Astra observed. "I bet that'll help! Where'd you get it?"

"... A glass container. Near Floria Highway."

"... What?"

"Do not worry. I am just as confused as you…" Fark murmured.

"Well-" **BAM!** An explosion rocked the ground. Astra screamed, knocked down. Fury surged through Fark, as he searched for the culprit. Several GPAs stared them down, with their cannons smoking. More were rushing towards them.

Blinded by rage, Fark ripped his way through the GPAs. Parts flew every which way. Astra watched the yellow blur zip through the crowd.

 **Clunk!** Fark's helmet was kicked off by a GPA head on thick legs. His black and yellow jester hat tumbled down his back. He retaliated with a swift right hook. 

Finishing off the rest of the robots, Fark looked at the smoking carnage he left. He then turned to face Astra. She sat there, her mouth agape.

Fark reached up to touch a crack on his earpiece. He froze when he didn't feel his helmet hiding his face. Fear and shame crawled down his spine. Alarmed, he scrambled for his helmet. 

He knew it was futile, though. He couldn't hide what was already revealed. She already knew. Ooze trickled from his eyes, as he imagined Astra running away, or treating him with scorn… 

He found his helmet planted in the snow. Slipping it back on, he refused to meet Astra's eyes. _Just another robot… I will never be anything more…_

"You're a robot?" Astra asked. "Huh. Didn't expect that!"

Fark heard no malice in her voice. What? But… She should be hating him right now… "You… Are you not alarmed? Frightened? Scared?"

"If you were trying to kill me, then yeah," Astra replied. "But, you just _saved_ me."

To say the least, Fark didn't compute with that. He held his head, obviously stunned by the answer. "M-most formies… Are not… Okay with my kind…"

"You don't seem infected." Fark felt Astra's hand on his shoulder. He met her eyes, and gingerly placed his hand on hers. "Besides, I have a robot friend! I was going to introduce you to him when we got out of the forest!"

 _[System Log] Cannot identify emotions on Sector (EM): Too many to calculate._ Fark's gears felt like they were somersaulting. Friend. That word… It seemed to carry that same warm feeling Fark craved. _Friend. Cataloging word._

"I think we should get going," Astra suggested.

"Yes…" Fark agreed with a nod.

  
  


The forest thinned out. Trees sparsely dotted the mountain ridge. Snow still blanketed the ground. That made Fark happy.

"Astra!" a familiar voice called out over the silence of the mountains. "Astraaa!" A hooded mage came flying out from behind a bend. He circled the two happily in the air.

"Oh, Romalo!" Astra greeted. "I found someone who's gonna help take down Freom!"

Fark removed his helmet. Romalo gasped. "I know you! Fark, it's nice to see you again!"

"The pleasure is mine," Fark formally said, with a small bow.

"We're gonna save Mr. Doctor together!" Romalo cheered. He held up his hands, obviously waiting for something.

Fark tilted his head. "... No high fives, I guess?" Romalo said.

"... What is a high five?"

"Well, it sorta goes like…" Romalo clapped his hands together. "But instead of just you, you do it with another person!"

Romalo extended his hand out for another try. Fark stared at his own hand, before… **SMACK!**

Romalo yelped, feeling like his hand was smacked to the ground. Astra gasped. Fark immediately realized his error. He had just _hurt_ Romalo. He hid his face, ooze sliding down his cheeks, and started to walk off.

"Whoa… You're really strong…" Fark heard Romalo say in awe. Peering over his shoulder, he saw Romalo, while he was rubbing his hand, with a huge smile.

Astra gave Romalo a knowing nudge, before turning to Fark. "We'll need to work on your handshakes and high fives, though…" she said with a grin. "Save your strength for the fights!"

"You are not upset? I… But, I injured…" Fark said, bewildered. Every time he did something wrong, they always responded with a smile. It baffled him… Yet he enjoyed it. He clutched his chest. These two confused him just as much as Spark… Why were they so… Nice? 

Fark suddenly was pulled forward. Romalo grabbed his hands, nearly dragging the jester forward. "C'mon! We're saving Mr. Doctor together!"

 _Together…_ Fark's mind started to reel. _Together. Cataloging word._

"Faaark! Astra's gonna leave us!" Romalo whined, snapping Fark out of it. "We need to go, go, go! Castela Blanca's waiting for us!"

"O-oh! Okay!" Fark kicked it into high gear, and rushed after Romalo.

As he ran alongside Astra and Romalo, an aching clog broke up in his chest. _[System Log] Lowered levels of: Loneliness on Sector (EM)._

Lonely. He no longer felt lonely.

He had spent most of his life... Alone. Performing in a circus: alone. Running away from Freom's robots: alone. Even when he was surrounded by people, he still felt isolated. 

He thought he would always stay alone. Stay _lost_. Spark only provided a brief relief from that, before he went on vacation...

With Astra and Romalo... He felt comforted. Confident. He had that dark shadow, gnawing at the back of his head that he wasn't going to save the doctor, no matter how hard he tried. And, he nearly caved into that shadow.

Not with them by his side. He truly believed that they were going to save the doctor.

If only Fark could smile, he would be beaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ay yo, we back, please no spoilers~
> 
> aight. this chapter is shorter than the previous two, but it introduces by far the biggest change: astra and romalo as deuteragonists. they'll accompany fark for a good chunk of the story, mainly cause i wanted fark to bounce off people
> 
> this is why I think the story's picking up here: fark will get to actually interact with some characters outside of mainly boss cutscenes/fights. makes the stage excerpts much less mundane, i believe.
> 
> so, yeah. snow. astra. fark nearly has a panic attack. marshmallow romalo. fark's still bad at handshakes and high fives. lilo and stitch.
> 
> thanks for reading, both the chapter and my inane ramblings! constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!


	4. Shadow on the Sun

Surrounded by the snowy mountains, the abandoned amusement park lay dilapidated and mysterious. Winding magenta paths were covered by growing foliage. The tattered banners swayed in the wind. Towers stood tall, perhaps even taller than the mountains. Hazy gold barriers encased the towers.

"This is where the trio is heading next," Flint informed. He studied the park. On the highest spire, a blue robot quickly ascended: Double.

"This is where I'll fight him?" Float asked as she hovered towards the cliff's edge. Flint followed, his feet crunching in the snow beneath. "I like it. You have a great taste in this sort of thing, Flint."

"Going through this park is the shortest way to Technoria City. They are intent on going there," Flint explained. "Double is reaching the top of the main spire as we speak. He should be able to spot them coming."

"You will intercept them here. If they somehow manage to pass you, we will be in Technoria to cut them off," Flint finished.

"That little robot's certainly strong," Float said. "He tore through those two robots E.J sent after him... And I'm getting a bad feeling from his little friends..." She turned her gaze to the landscape around the park. Snow, snow, and more snow. With the abandoned amusement park, the whole area just seemed... Lonely.

"Indeed. He's a custom model, just like you." Flint's voice brought Float back. "He only shares his coding with two other robots, however... E.J... And _Freom."_

Float couldn't help but flinch at the mention of the rogue robot's name. That man's name was a touchy subject ever since the rebellion rose up. " _Him_...? Is it... Because that doctor made them both?" she said with uncertainty.

Flint was skeptical of Float's reasoning, but it was the only one that made sense. "Perhaps. It must be why Freom wants him dead. He somehow holds extraordinary power..." He went back to the obscene energy readings Freom had supplied the group. Flint remembered reacting in disbelief, claiming that they must've been faked. 

"It doesn't necessarily mean that he and Freom have the _same_ power... Right?" Float questioned.

"I... I do not know. His body simply couldn't handle the strain..." A chime ringing in Flint's earpiece signaled his leave. "Master wants me to return quickly. I will see you soon."

"Take care, Flint."

Flint began to descend down the cliff. He stopped in his tracks, however, and peered over his shoulder. "Before I go, Float... I wish to ask you a question."

Float returned the gaze with a soft "Hm?" Flint was never one to drag out conversations like this. But, if it meant she got to spend a little more time with him, she would gladly take it.

"... Have you truly lost all of your memories?" Flint asked the piercing question. The air became even colder. The two went silent, with the only sound being the gentle wind.

"... Yes. The earliest memories I can remember... Are of you and Double. And a room covered in red," Float finally answered. "I couldn't even really move back then, either... I know I'm missing something. Something _important_. I don't know if I'll ever _find_ that something.

"Same account as before... Are you telling the truth?"

"Flint," Float said firmly. "You know I wouldn't lie about such a thing."

"I am not the one doubting your claim this time," Flint shot back. "Master's the skeptical one." 

Float fell silent, turning away. "To be a part of us, you must have a reason to fight," Flint continued. "But, you say you have none. You just... _Do_ it."

"... You should be flattered to have me on your side. You know Double isn't too noble himself..." Float attempted to crack a teasing line. The heavy mood didn't budge. She sighed, and knew what she needed to confront.

"Flint, you know why I'm... _We're_ fighting," Float said, her eyes softening. "Double's infected." She intimately knew of Flint's distress over Double's infection. She watched him wince from the nerve she touched. "We're trying to get him back from Freom. We _need_ to be on the same side here."

Flint simply gave a grim nod. He was well aware of his master being infected by Freom's virus, even with being disconnected to the net... "I know." The ringing in his ears grew more shrill by the second. It reminded him of how he failed to protect his master. "Do not fail. _Please._ I cannot lose you or Master."

"I won't." 

**STAGE 6- Castela Blanca**

The amusement park was awash with the orange glow of the evening sun. The sun had already set on this park, though, judging by the structures near collapsing. Vines weaved their way through the metal bars surrounding towers and guarding paths. 

"Someone must've reactivated the park again," Astra observed. "All these machines shouldn't be on..."

Fark and Romalo closely followed Astra. "This place makes me really, really sad..." Romalo murmured. "So many people used to come through here... What happened?"

"I wish I knew," Astra hummed. "Seems like people just grew tired of this park."

How could someone ever grow tired of an amusement park? Fark found himself thinking. During his short time in Lightoria Bay, he stopped what felt like every five seconds to gawk at every little thing. The rollercoasters, the ferris wheels, even the light-up benches. Then he nearly got ensnared in a net by one of Freom's robots, and that ended his little tour.

Low mechanical humming accompanied the echoing wind. The breeze gently swayed the foliage. Chills started to crawl up and down Fark's spine after just a few minutes of traversing the park. "I... I do not like this place," he quietly admitted. He huddled closer to Romalo.

"We'll try to go through this quickly, then," Astra replied.

The paths twisted and turned, causing the trio to backtrack multiple times. Astra grumbled, "My legs are killing me…"

"A-astra? Are you okay?!" Fark cried out in alarm. 

Astra sighed. "I'm not literally dying. My legs just really hurt."

 _Oh._ Fark froze for a moment. "... I see."

Astra gave a small chuckle, reassuring Fark. 

The trio entered one of the spires. Astra gazed at the tallest tower, studying the gold barrier around it. "If we head up there, we could probably see a way out," she theorized.

"Ooh…" Romalo fawned over the scene. "This definitely isn't like Loho Land…"

"This was more of a relaxed amusement park," Astra explained. "No big, flashy rides, or anything like that."

Fark certainly didn't mind the quieter atmosphere. As much as the rides at Lightoria Bay amazed him, they also looked a bit too intense for him. The loop-de-loops, the clattering of the chains, the people screaming… Just a little too overwhelming for his sensors.

Enemies strolled around on the path in front of them. "Freom's army's _everywhere,_ " Astra groaned. 

"Here, let me!" Romalo launched a sparkly white blast. The projectile landed in the middle of a group, and **KRAKOOM!** exploded like a glittery firework. 

Fark watched the sparks settle on the ground. "Amazing, Romalo," he said to the little mage. Romalo giggled. 

"Well, that takes care of it!" Astra said with a smile. Her eyes focused on the glowing blue platform at the end of the path. "A teleporter!" she identified. 

They jogged up to it. Astra grabbed Fark and Romalo's hands, and took the brave step into the light.

The world warped around them. _[System Log] Gravity shift detected,_ Fark's HUD alerted him. A gravity shift?! What _was_ this place?!

Romalo's eyes spun around. "Whoa… My head's spinning!"

Astra helped steady the two. Fark focused on the sound of rushing water. "Hm?" He curiously peeked over Astra, to see a glowing blue cavern.

"Astra, over there," he said. Astra followed his pointer finger over to the cavern. 

"Seems like that's the only way," Astra commented. "Let's go." She led the way into the cavern.

Shimmering water flowed any which way. Up, down, sideways… They somehow defied gravity, just like the rest of Castela Blanca.

More and more surprises popped up, much to Fark's delight. Luna was such a fascinating world, and formies built equally intriguing technologies.

"Wow! Look at that!" Romalo dashed over to the water.

"Wait!" Astra shouted. Romalo's hand stopped inches from the water. "One of the rides broke a little before the park closed, and it overflowed the park with this weird warp water…" Astra explained. "That water will teleport you to gosh knows where…"

"Oh…" Romalo floated away. "That doesn't sound fun."

Fark tensed up, glaring at the entrance of the cavern. Astra and Romalo followed his eyes. Metal clanked as more of Freom's minions suddenly rushed into the cave. Romalo squealed, ducking under a blast. 

Fark blasted some GPAs away. They fell into the water, and disappeared in a burst of blue sparkles. "Don't fall in!" Astra warned, as she kicked some robots away. 

Romalo skirted through the laserfire. Some blasts grazed his hoodie. "Wah! These guys mean business!" He slashed a GPA in half with a burning green sword.

Lights lit up around the cave. Inside, mischievously smiling, golden wisps formed. They burst out from the lanterns, exploding near Fark.

"We need to get out!" Fark yelled above the chaos.

"That sounds good!" Romalo agreed, pulling Astra away from some GPAs with lances.

Fark sprinted through the crowd. Swords and lasers clawed at his metal. Wincing, he pushed forward. More wisps darted towards him. He rounded a corner, closing in on the exit. 

**BAM!** Fark was knocked back by one of the wisps of ghostly fire. His back collided with the mysterious water with a wet **SPLAT**! 

"Fark!" Astra and Romalo cried. Romalo dived towards him. It was too late, though.

Fark had no time to yell back. The world whirled in front of his eyes. He curled into himself, waiting for it to stop.

 **CLANG!** He landed on the ground. The scrapes on his body stung, as his vision cleared.

 _[System Log] Gravity shift detected._ Fark raised his head. _The world is upside down..._

He slowly got up. The spire was silent. No enemies… But no Astra or Romalo either. 

Panic started to consume him. His skates nervously tapped against the ground. He fidgeted, gripping his Edgy Knife tight. _Okay, okay… Do not panic. Head to the highest spire. That is where they will be, too…_

He warily skated forward, their absence already weighing heavy on him. They gave him all those happy, warm emotions, and to have them gone… It quickly let the dark shadows back in.

Glowing wisps floated down a hole in the floor. He peered down the hole, seeing a long drop down… Was this the main tower?

He saw the top of the tower at the bottom, and the evening sky below. An uncomfortable feeling ran up his legs, to see the world like this. And he would have to jump down to get to the top.

Fark shook his head. This is what he had to do! He bent his knees, ready to jump…

He then whimpered, and scampered away. _I cannot do it!_ He quivered at the thought of jumping. 

_But I must!_ Fark closed his eyes, and skated towards the hole.

Air whipped around him as he forced open his eyes. He stifled a scream to see the top of the tower rushing towards him.

Charging up energy in his skates, he launched upward just before he hit the ground. He fell back down… But at a much slower rate, much to Fark's relief.

Gold particles swirled around him. The sky darkened. The ground disappeared beneath him. _Wh-what?! What is going on?!_

He plunged straight into a golden vortex.

Unsure of where to go, Fark had headed up the tallest spire, and fell into some sort of portal. Now he found himself in an ethereal room. Surrounded by a night sky, the only ground was the glowing yellow lines making up the arena. A moon stared Fark down, wearing a jagged smile and angry eyes.

Fark stared in a mix of awe and fear. He slowly turned around. In the middle of the arena, a robot in a pink dress smiled softly, yet smugly, at him. "Hello..." Fark said quietly. "Who are you?"

"Hello there," the robot replied, "I am Float. This place is pretty, isn't it? I quite like what they did with the place."

Fark nodded in agreement. "Don't be too amazed, though," Float said. "This room is just the work of holographic nanomachines, just as always."

Holographic nanomachines? Fark remembered Romalo's happy chattering about such devices, and how they can warp even a huge area into whatever the wielder desires. Had Float done the same?

"Around the year 200, formies just began building a whole bunch of amusement parks. Perhaps they were riding on the high of new technology?" Float began to explain. Fark couldn't help but listen intently. This knowledge was new and intriguing to him.

"That's also where lots of our kind come from..." Float's eyes narrowed, as she turned away. "But not you or me. We just get to see the ruins."

"Where did you learn this from?" Fark curiously asked.

"Mm, it's just a little fact I've learned from my friends. You just looked so confused..."

"... Fr-friends? You... Have those?" A painful longing entered Fark's voice. He slumped forwards. Float flinched, caught off guard by the pure emotion. "Who... Are they?" He sounded bewildered and upset.

Pity settled heavy on Float's chest. _No. I can't go soft now. I have a mission,_ she thought. "It's... Nothing you should worry about. They're... A little out there." Swinging her arms downwards, Float summoned two blades of light. "I'm here to kill you."

Fark recoiled, obviously stunned by Float's change in demeanor. He then shrank back, folding his arms over his chest. "... I assume your friends are out to get me as well...? Of course. It is always like that." His voice still carried that low tone of sorrow.

"... You're a strange one, you know that?" Float commented, her eyes filled with confusion.

"What do you intend to mean by that...?"

"Oh, nothing," Float huffed. "Just thinking aloud. Let's get this over with."

"Alright..."

**BOSS 3- Float**

Float immediately began the assault, summoning bursts of energy from the ground. **BAM! BAM!** Fark dashed through the blasts. He switched to his Edgy Knife, and materialized kunais in his free hand.

Fark flung the blades at Float. She swatted them away with her own blade. With a playful wink, she launched more blasts towards him. 

**BLAM!** One particular blast scorched Fark's back, causing him to wail. Float winced a bit at Fark's cry.

Fark shook his head. He skated towards Float, preparing a swing.

 **CLANG!** His knife collided with Float's blade. "Mm. You're not too bad," Float said with a smirk.

Float entered a spin, swinging her blades. Fark leapt back, barely dodging. Reverting back to his base form, he charged up a shot. **FWOOM!** He released, just as Float ceased her spin. Her eyes widened at the blue blast heading for her. 

**BOOM!** Float was flung back, screaming. "I a-apologize!" Fark yelled out to her.

Float picked herself up off the ground. "No more going easy," she growled.

Fark scrambled through the onslaught of blasts and slashes. sneaking in hits here and there. 

Float let her guard down to take a breather. She felt herself tiring out. _My b-body… I can't faint now!_ she gritted her teeth.

Fark leapt towards her, and **CLANG**! delivered a solid kick to her gut. Flying back, she curled into herself, and began to tremble.

Fark tiptoed towards her. "Ma'am…?"

" _GRAAAAAAGH_!" A blinding light consumed the arena. Fark yelped, covering his face.

He lowered his arms just in time to see Float barrelling towards him. He rolled off to the side, her blades clipping him.

Landing on his knees, Fark took a moment to study Float. She lost her dress, revealing metallic musculature. A wide, vicious grin spread on her face, her black and red eyes staring him down. 

The night sky around them was tinted a bold red, and the swirling gold barrier sped up. _I have angered her…_ Fark thought nervously.

Float leapt into the air, her blades above her head. She slammed back down onto the ground, smashing into Fark's shield.

A burst of electricity shot out from Fark's body, and pushed Float away. He ran his fingers along the scrapes and scratches on his metal. 

Burning pain shot up Fark's leg. "AGH!" He bounced away, to see a devilishly smiling circle following him. _A-ah! I have to worry about Float_ **_and_ ** _this?!_

Float cackled, seeing an opening. She launched a barrage of blasts towards Fark. 

Fark parried the blasts. He switched to his Power Armor, and dashed away using his thrusters.

Float charged again. Fark slid under the slice. The circle pursued him, scorching the bottom of his feet. 

Fark continued fleeing and parrying. Float wouldn't let up the pressure, and Fark only got in a few good punches.

Float's blade smashed against Fark's shield once again. Sparks flew off from the impact. _[System Log] Static Energy at: 100%. Execute Ultimate Attack?_ popped up in Fark's HUD. 

Normally, he would agree without hesitation. But, there was something deep inside, telling him to not go through with it. Energy swirled around his trembling hands.

Float noticed Fark's reluctance as well. She slowed down, lowering her blades a bit. Her grin shrank.

 _[System Log] Executing Ultimate Attack._ Fark's systems didn't hesitate, though.

The explosion of energy engulfed the area. Float only had time for a small gasp, before the blast scorched her.

" _A_ _AAAAAAGH!"_

Disoriented by the sudden flash of sunlight, Fark shielded his eyes. He stumbled around, dazed. Then Float's screech of pain jolted him out of his trance. Instantly, his chest felt... Heavy. Clogged by something dark. 

"I'm sor-sorry...", was all Fark heard when she smashed into the ground. Feeling his legs move on their own, he rushed over to her. He laid his hands on her, and shook her. She didn't stir. 

He shook her more aggressively. Nothing. What was he doing?! He killed bunches of robots before her. He didn't spare a shred of sorrow for them. Why now? Why... Did it hurt so bad? 

That soft and gentle tone she held when she spoke of the ethereal room, and mentioning her friends… It made him feel like she wasn't treating him as a clone, an inferior knockoff… Just like Astra and Romalo.

Fark went over Float's apology over and over in his head. It certainly wasn't something he expected. Footsteps brought him back to reality. 

Fark gazed up to see Astra walking towards him. Her face held a shadow of sorrow. He felt one part of him relax, finally reunited with her after getting lost in the park. But... He didn't expect it to be like this.

"You're as strong as I thought you'd be," Astra congratulated, with a twinge of sadness. "It's a shame you had to take it out on this poor girl. To be honest... I don't even think she wanted to kill you."

"She made... Her intentions clear before we fought. Why... Wouldn't she?" Fark asked, dumbfounded. Why say you are going to do something... If you truly didn't want to carry it out?

"Sometimes... People are forced to do what they don't want to do. They say they're going to... But, deep down, they hate what they must do," Astra explained, turning away. She sounded like she had experienced this before. 

"While she was working for Freom... Doesn't seem like she was being manipulated, though. Knowing her friends... She might've been forced into doing a favor for them," she concluded.

Fark faltered. He choked out a sob. The noise scared Astra, and even himself. "Fark?! What's wrong?!" she exclaimed, and ran up to the robot. 

Fark replied by slamming his fists on the stones. " _Why_?!" he screamed towards the sky. Forced to do something... Forced to _fight_ , with no true reason to do so... He felt it resonate within him.

Astra shrank back. "It hurts... What am I feeling?" Fark droned. "Why am I feeling?" The painful bubble in his chest grew and grew, just like that aching fire from before. He wanted to rip, tear, yank it out, to soothe the pain.

"I've heard of this before..." Astra mused. "Robots gaining emotions... And becoming self-aware..."

Fark ripped his eyes away from the corpse. Scanning the area, his eyes caught on a bush of flowering plants on the edge of the arena. He stood up. He marched over, and gingerly plucked some magenta blooms. "Fark?" Astra began to ask. She decided to hold back, though.

Fark returned to the body. Laying the flowers down on her chest, Fark took a knee beside Float. Astra did the same. The two kneeled in silence. 

Fark broke the silence, opening his eyes. "Let us go," he said curtly, raising up. 

"You okay?" Astra asked. Fark felt her hand placed reassuringly on his shoulder. "That was very sweet of you..."

"I am fine," Fark said, forcing his voice to steady.

"Dr. Armstrong was last seen in the Technoria Plaza. Let's go there." 

Fark nodded, and charged off. Astra, before following, glanced at Float's body one last time.

Double and Flint watched the two dots blink on the radar. Until suddenly, the pink one disappeared.

Flint's hackles immediately raised. His hand gripped his sword handle tight, nearly snapping it under the pressure. No. She couldn't have fallen. There was no way-

Double sighed. "... Seems like the jester won."

Time seemed to stop for Flint. His entire memory bank flashed before him. Finding Float, half buried in scrap metal, buzzing a mantra of pleas for help. Carrying her off back to base and nursing her back to health. Her laugh. Her smile. 

Gone. All a fleeting dream. His comrade, his ally, his _friend…_ Gone. 

Double was about to speak again, before a rush of wind cut him off. He glanced beside him, seeing the leaves settle where Flint once stood. He gazed back at the amusement park in the distance. 

His first response was to call Flint, and command him back. But, something buried within, told him to shut his trap. And he obliged.

The hydrangeas on Float's chest quivered in the breeze. Flint could only stare in horror. 

Horror was quickly replaced with burning rage. He was going to cut that jester _down_ , even if he himself died in the process. 

Silence hung in the air. He kneeled beside Float. Shutting down his vision, it seemed like he stayed for an eternity.

And he would, if Double calling, and his own urge for vengeance didn't force him to his feet. 

"We need to get to Technoria. _Now,_ " Double urged when Flint answered. "Those brats are closin' in fast."

"I understand," Flint replied. "I will be there shortly."

Flint gave one last sorrowful gaze at Float. He warped away. The breeze blew the flowers off Float's chest, letting them fly away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~i trust you guys now, be nice~
> 
> now THIS is where the edge/angst really kicks in. oh boi. i've seen many criticisms about the tone of the story, and here i am, exacerbating the issue. i think i'm just being really self-conscious tho. 
> 
> so, float's dead. i had been struggling to find a reason for fark to feel guilty over his actions, but when i wrote floresta blanca and the pre-fight scene, the pieces just fell subconsciously into place? fark felt like float treated him like an actual person, and immediately associated that warm fuzzy feeling with another warm fuzzy word, "friend". but then it turned she wasn't a friend. oops. i'm planning for shantoria town (spark it up, fark it up!) to be a small breather chapter so things can settle before we get to the REAL show 
> 
> tell me if you see any errors with anything! my eyes tend to glaze over stuff if i've read it too much, haha
> 
> constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!


	5. Everything Stays

**STAGE 7- Shantoria Town**

The evening sun washed the town in a pink hue. Masses of wires stretched between the small shacks. Said shacks were supported by metal beams that extended down. Fark couldn't see their end, as the floor of traffic hid the ground- if there was even ground beneath them. Winding and looping roads were unfinished, ending abruptly onto metal grates. At least they didn't lead into falling into traffic below.

Fark ran across the rooftops, leaping between the gaps. Astra followed close beside him. 

He couldn't get the past two hours out of his head. The heavy weight of emotions on his chest. Float's lifeless body. No matter how much he wanted to shut up his brain, his brain just continued to spit out crippling thoughts and images.

He gazed over at Astra. Her face carried the same downtrodden shadow as before. Talking to Astra always made him feel relaxed… Maybe he should try and ease them both.

"You… You appear to know a bit about Float," he commented. "Why?"

Astra noticeably hesitated. "... Military databases," she finally answered. "She and her friends were considered so dangerous that the military made their information public."

"These… Friends of hers…" Fark remembered what Float had remarked before their fight. _They're… A little out there._ "Who are they?"

"Double and Flint. They were all renegades," Astra said. "Constantly making headlines, and not for good reason. Mainly leading raids on HQs and stealing valuable data. Then they started throwing in murders…"

"And Freom hired them to kill me?"

"Uh-huh." Astra nodded. "He must've offered them some lucrative reward if they were willing to join with him…"

The two ran in silence. The absence of Romalo's chattering stuck out like a sore thumb. Astra had asked him to scout out Technoria, to find any clues on the doctor. Romalo agreed, with that signature joy of his, proclaiming that they were definitely going to find the doctor!

"Float was like no robot I have ever seen before…" Fark spoke up once again. Ever since he first saw her face, he noted how… _Organic_ she appeared. 

"That's because she _wasn't_."

Fark was caught off guard. With a stammer, he absentmindedly tripped over a ledge. Astra, wincing, grabbed his hand, and steadied him. "Wh-what do you _mean_?"

"She wasn't a robot. She was a military cyborg," Astra clarified. "She joined the military when she was a young girl, and they turned her into a cyborg. They threw her out though…"

"Why?!"

"She apparently "died" in one of her tests, according to reports… So they just tossed her away," Astra continued solemnly. "She wasn't dead, though. Her machinery kept her vitals alive. Being in a scrap heap, though… Must've felt like being buried alive."

"How did she escape…?"

"A group of scavengers came across her. That's where she met Double and Flint." Astra bounced over some wires. "And they stayed together ever since."

A quiet sigh escaped Fark. A young formie, turned into a cyborg and thrown away like a day's trash… Died at his hands. 

The same black substance that welled up in his eyes in Floresta Blanca dripped down his face. It splattered on the rooftops. He wiped some away, the tears staining his gloves.

"We're getting closer to Technoria," Astra informed. The colorful city glowed in the horizon. "Then we can go find Dr. Armstrong."

 _And forget all about this…_ Fark found himself thinking.

The twinkly **Whoosh!** of a portal opening up alerted them both. Romalo burst out of the portal, flying beside them. "I didn't see _anything!_ " he reported, obviously confused. "But, I kept hearing about him being in the Technoria Plaza! There's a lot of plazas, though…"

Astra hummed, dismayed. "I shouldn't have sent you alone. There's no way you could've explored the entire city by yourself."

"E.J _was_ heading there, so Mr. Doctor _must_ be there!" Romalo firmly said. "We won't stop till we find him, right?!"

An uneasy premonition grew in the back of Fark's head. He shook it off, chalking it up to the dismal mood he was in. "We cannot fail. We will _not_ fail," Fark agreed.

Astra gave a noticeably pained smile. "That's the spirit, guys! We can't be downers about this! Let's go!"

Fark felt the pain ebb away, just slightly. He wished he could be just as optimistic as Astra and Romalo. They always managed to look on the bright side of things. He was glad to have them on his side, making those dark thoughts of his disappear.

  
  


Flint watched the trio blaze through the town from his perch. As much as he wanted to attack them right then and there… His sense of honor held him back. Double always got onto his case about that, but Flint could never bring himself to dare break his code of honor.

Besides, Double himself told him to hang back and bide his time. Which surprised him, given how impatient Double was… And how the virus exacerbated that trait even more.

"They are reaching the city now, Master," Flint called Double, watching the sky slowly darken.

"Hm. Looks like the brat E.J is, too… Tryin' to steal the kill from us, eh?" Double commented. "Alright, Flint, let's get movin'."

Flint nodded, and warped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this certainly ain't a very big or exciting chapter, but this'll be a good breather between the previous and next chapter. ESPECIALLY the next chapter. that thing's friggin 5000 words and it's not even FINISHED. it's definitely gonna be a doozy
> 
> so i moved the "float is a cyborg" explanation to here, and that's the only real big part of this? other than developing fark's attachment to his friends, maybe
> 
> again, not a very big chapter, so not a big note to go with it. hope you enjoyed, though!
> 
> constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!


	6. Know Thyself!

**STAGE 8- Technoria City**

In quite a contrast from Shantoria Town, sleek buildings rose high into the sky. Bright spotlights illuminated advertisements plastered all over the buildings. Crowds of people bustled past the trio. Business people, tourists, families with their children... The Floria Festival brought them all here. Fark gazed at the holographic ticket he held, which shimmered in the spotlights.

Looking up, Fark counted so many smiles on their faces. Whether soft upturns of the mouth, or face wide grins, they were all so... Happy. He turned his attention towards the products. S.S Boots, with a brand new orange dot! XF Racing, (supposedly) based on a true story! The newest line of Anti-Robo Armor (which Fark found his set in a glass container... Odd)!

He gazed up at the sky. No stars. All the lights must be drowning them out. He felt a lingering sense of sadness over it. A shadowy black mass in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. 

He stared at several long mirrors, all simply reflecting himself. He walked along, following Astra and Romalo. That shadow... What _was_ it? 

He walked past the last mirror. The black mass appeared again. Ripping away from Astra's hand, he rushed back to the window. He studied the shadow with horror. Piercing red eyes, long ribbons extending from its neck, a stocky build. He trembled. It trembled. 

Fark blinked in confusion. It blinked. Was it... Just an ad? An ad that tracked his movements? A searing pain suddenly exploded in his head. Clutching his chest, he saw Astra and Romalo rush over to him. Their words faded into white noise, as a blinding light filled his vision. 

Data flew past him, unintelligible. A warm breeze blew. "Hello? Can you hear me?" A feminine voice called to him desperately. "Hello?!" 

He was able to make out the shape of an abnormally tall formie. With its white fur and dress, it blended in perfectly. "This is... Data? Who are you?"

The formie perked up. "Oh, good! I was able to reach you! You're Fark, right?" Her image solidified. Long hair billowed down her back, as her dress swayed in the wind. A thin veil covered her closed eyes.

Fark nodded. 

"A pleasure to meet you! I'm Clarity." The formie bowed. Her butterfly wings flapped behind her. "Like you, I was created by Dr. Armstrong."

"What are you?" Fark suddenly asked.

"My, you're curious!" Clarity chuckled. "I am an A.I, an intelligence. I was made to be Dr. Armstrong's last defense against Freom... And I'm failing," she said, her tone immediately becoming desperate. "He's back, and I can't hold him back much longer! He's gotten too strong to counter. I need your help. You're strong enough to stop him!"

Clarity's words riled Fark up. A second chance, to redeem his failure?! "I'm also here to warn you." With a flick of her hand, the same beastly shadow appeared next to her. Black tendrils stretched from its feet, tainting the data around it. This time, it seemed wholly independent from Fark's movements. It glared down on the small robot, seething silently.

"This is the monster Freom wants you to be, if he ever gets his hands on you. Please, don't let him get you," Clarity said. The shadow faded into an image of Luna. A thruster rocketed towards the planet, and crashed into it. Flame consumed the planet. Cities collapsed. People fled in vain. All that remained was ash and dust. "Will you help me save the world?"

 _Will you help me save the world?_ Clarity's plea echoed in Fark's head. "Fark! Fark?!" A familiar voice pulled him back into reality. 

Opening his eyes, he saw Astra's concerned pink eyes, and Romalo's worried pout. Astra sighed, relieved. "At least tell me when you go into sleep mode!" 

Fark scanned his surroundings. He sat on the sidewalk, pushed away from the crowds as far as possible. Astra knelt beside him. "My apologies," Fark said. 

"You were on a really bad snooze cruise! You okay?" Romalo asked. 

"I am fine. Just... Overwhelmed," Fark lied. He didn't think his friends would believe that a weird angel formie called out to him.

Astra helped him to his feet. "Well, come on. We'll get you to a place with less people. If we can find one, that is."

The trio began their stroll again. Fark still felt rather light-headed, but he slowly recovered. For some odd reason, a question that was pestering him for a while popped into his head. 

"Astra?" Fark broke the silence, shyly looking at her. 

"Hm?" Astra stopped, and turned around. "What is it?"

"May I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead!" Astra winked.

"Are you... Are you two my friends?" he quickly spat out his question. 

"Where's this coming from?" Astra, and Romalo, tilted their heads in confusion.

"Before my brawl with Float, she mentioned friends..." Fark said, shrinking away. "My apologies..."

"If you think we're your friends, then we are!" Astra answered happily. "No need to be sorry!"

"I do see you as my friends... So, you _are_ my friends?"

"Yeah!" Romalo nodded. Floating over to Fark, he gave the jester a hug. 

A happy warmth filled Fark's chest. Friends... Previously, he had no such luxury. But, now... He had two smiling friends, right in front of him. "Thank you." This fuzzy feeling... Oh, how he missed it. It was so much more pleasant than the aching, black weight of sorrow he felt a few hours ago. 

Content in the knowledge that he did have friends, Fark got a little pep in his step. No longer lingering behind Astra and Romalo, he walked with them, side by side.

"The Technoria Plaza isn't far from here," Astra said a few minutes later, gazing down at her phone.

Fark barely heard her. He focused more on the sudden sound of skates. A black blur leapt over the buildings, dashing overhead. Fark recognized the black and yellow jester hat on its head any time, anywhere. 

"Astra, I must go. There is something important I must do. I will meet you at the Plaza soon! Bye!" Fark exclaimed quickly. He charged off after the blur.

Astra and Romalo were left standing, confused. "What's gotten into him?" Astra asked herself. 

"Bye!" Romalo waved. He then turned to Astra with an oddly grim look. "You sure he's... Y'know? He's really nice. He can't possibly be..." 

Astra felt some doubt growing in her. Maybe Fark wasn't like what she heard... "Perhaps..."

Before she dared to even think of the next word, pain exploded in her head. She fell to her knees. Clutching her head, she heard a voice scold her harshly. _Don't you ever think like that again! His sons are all dangerous, no ifs, ands, or buts!_

"Yes... I understand," Astra breathed.

The pain faded away. _Oh, good. You still have some sense in you. Now, go!_

Astra raised her head to see Romalo, worried beyond belief. "Astra, is this another one of your... Migrates, again? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... Let's go to the Plaza." Assisted by Romalo, Astra stood. Together, they hobbled off.

**FWOOM! VROOM!**

Fark blazed after the jester hopping along the rooftops. The colorful advertisements blurred past him. 

People exclaimed as Fark drove past them. "Sorry!" he shouted, but they disappeared too quickly for his apology to be heard. 

He turned back around to keep his eyes on E.J. A gold spark illuminated E.J's hand.

 _He's attacking!_ Fark thought a split second before a yellow blast exploded next to him. He yelped. Gripping the handles tight, he tried to steady his bike. 

"BUZZ OFF!" E.J screamed, launching another barrage of projectiles.

Fark swerved through the explosions. He couldn't lose sight of E.J, no matter what. Dr. Armstrong was at stake.

The video feed crackled, as it struggled to display the swift jesters. "Ugh. Hate this drone…" Double bemoaned. 

Lost in thought, Flint remained silent. Despite Double by his side, he felt… Alone. That sick churning in his gears didn't help. The sight of Float, dead on the ground, was burned into his mind. Her hollow, black eyes. Her face contorted into a grimace of pain. The delicate flowers laid on her chest. He couldn't stop thinking, and thinking, and thinking…

And Double being infected, with Freom's tight grip around him… Flint was isolated. He had nobody to turn to. He just had to _hope_. He was no believer of magic miracles, but that seemed like the only thing that would work…

Fark pushed his bike to its limits. The distance between him and E.J was closing rapidly. E.J seemed to be tiring out. He halfheartedly threw another blast. Fark dodged with ease.

Fark took a quick glance at the dashboard. The fuel meter was dangerously close to empty. 

E.J leaped off the rooftop, disappearing into a nearby plaza. _Technoria Plaza?!_ Fark revved the engine, and drove after E.J.

Fark parked his bike. Dismounting, he reverted back into his base form.

"Finally!" E.J's voice greeted him as he entered the plaza. He sounded a bit weak, however. He learned against a pillar, his arms crossed. "Bout time ya showed up! Ya got here as fast as a snail! Color me surprised!"

Fark saw red. He marched over to E.J. E.J shrank back a bit, as Fark grabbed his bandana. He lifted up E.J, smashing him against the pillar. "Where. Is. The. Doctor?!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm your toots!" E.J replied. "Can't you take a-" **BAM**! He smashed his feet into Fark's chest- "A JOKE?!"

Fark released E.J with a shout. E.J leapt away into the center of the plaza. "Aight, idiot! If you wanna rumble, THEN COME AT ME!" He dropped into a fighting stance.

**BOSS 4- E.J**

Sparks flying off him, Fark raised his fists. 

E.J dashed around the arena in a yellow blur. Fark whipped around, trying to follow E.J.

 **CLANG**! E.J's electrified hand collided with Fark's shield. Fark's shield broke and disappeared.

 **BANG**! E.J slammed his foot into Fark's gut. Fark crashed onto the ground. 

E.J folded his arms over his chest. Yellow sparks covered the floor. Fark scrambled away from the radius… **FWOOM**! Energy exploded from the ground, burning Fark's back.

Fark sent his own energy blast flying towards E.J. **BAM**! E.J screamed, slouching over.

The yellow lights surrounding the arena began to buzz. Lightning shot out from several of them, right at Fark. "AAAAAAAGH!" He felt the electricity overloading his body.

Falling to his knees, Fark glared down the equally as livid E.J. "Not so high n' mighty now, eh?!" E.J shouted.

Jumping up, Fark sprinted towards him. E.J raised up, curling his fists.

The two began exchanging increasingly vicious blows. Dents appeared in E.J's gut. Cracks grew on Fark's face. Oil dripped from both of their wounds.

E.J grabbed Fark by the waist. "Wha-?!" he stammered, before being pushed to the ground. **CLANK**! 

E.J stood on top of him, repeatedly stomping his foot on Fark. Fark felt his chest starting to cave in. "GET OFF!" A wave of fury surged through Fark, as he flipped E.J off of him. Fark leapt to his feet.

 **CRUNCH**! "AAAAAGH!"

E.J felt Fark's foot crush his arm. His limb immediately numb, as the wires were crushed within. E.J formed a dome of electricity around him, flinging Fark away. 

Fark crashed onto the ground. He lifted his head to see E.J raising to his feet. Ooze dripped from E.J's eyes. More ran down his forearm. He frantically chattered into his earpiece, begging for Freom. 

E.J then locked eyes with Fark. Screaming, he fled the plaza.

Fark quickly summoned his bike. He drove after E.J.

"E.J's headin' to that helicopter base, with Fark just behind him," Double said, as he looked at his screen. A black dot headed towards the base in question, with a yellow dot closing the distance.

"Do you wish to intercept them, Master?" Flint suggested.

"Hm. Why not?" Double replied. "Wouldn't hurt to pay 'em a lil' visit."

Flint saw Double's fingers drum excitedly on his sword handles. Then Double suddenly stopped. "Huh? _He's_ callin'?"

Flint knew exactly who Double was referring to. His voice low, Double answered the call. "... You're really makin' time out of your busy day to crash the party? Sounds like a good show!" he chuckled. "Don't worry, we'll handle the jester. That's why you employed the best of the best!"

The call ended, with Double lowering his hand from his earpiece. "Let's go, Flint."

"Yes, Master," Flint said quietly. Would Freom be so kind as to fulfill his end of the deal when they finally killed the jester? Now he was the one anxiously tapping his sword.

Flint looked up to see Double already jogging off. Tensing up, Flint rushed after him.

Fark blazed after the fleeing E.J. He wasn't going to stop until E.J spat out where Dr. Armstrong was. 

The chase continued along the city. Until E.J started to ascend a tower, up to its helipad.

E.J finally made it to the top. He gripped the metal platform tight, the edge digging into his hand. He dragged himself up onto the helipad with a dull **Thunk!** Drenched with rain, he shivered. Oil still trickled down his crushed arm. Terror filled his every thought. Raising up to his feet, he trudged across the platform. 

"Ha!" A mocking laugh greeted him. "Can't say ya deserve any better, runt!" Double scoffed. Beside him, stood Flint. His eye studied the battered E.J.

"SH-SHUT UP!" E.J finally mustered up his voice.

 **Clank!** E.J tensed up at the noise behind him. Alarmed, he spun around to see Fark, fists ready. With a whimper, E.J stumbled back, falling into his rear with a **Thunk!**

 **Clunk!** Double kicked E.J forward slightly, before snatching the jester by his bandana. He swung E.J around, causing him to squeal. "AH! LET ME GO!" E.J protested, squirming in Double's grasp.

"Whatever you say!" Double laughed. "Time to take out the trash!" He tossed E.J over his shoulder. E.J bounced off the concrete, and fell off the helipad. Fark heard his screaming grow distant, before a low **crash** **!** ended it.

Brushing off his hands, Double turned his attention to Fark. "Yo. Name's Double. This here is Flint." He flicked his head towards Flint. The white-haired robot gave no reply. "Didn't think I'd see ya here _without_ your face bashed in, but here we are."

Double took a slow step towards Fark. Seeing the jester tense up got him giddy. "Lookin' for this doctor guy, eh? Oh, I've killed so many of his kind back in the day! Never mind that, though." Double spread his arms out wide. "We've got a special guest joinin' us today! The big man himself said he was gonna be here. _Thrillin'._ "

Fark was undoubtedly confused. "What in the world are you _talking_ about?"

The air suddenly ran cold. "He was mentioning _me_ , boy." A smooth bass echoed behind Fark, as a red light grew. Turning around, he saw a large black, gray, and red robot. The robot's arms and legs were well defined and muscular. A visor hid his eyes. Regal drapes fell over his chest and back. Although his appearance was unfamiliar, his voice wasn't. 

" _Freom_..." Fark breathed. His lower jaw trembled. Chilling fear seeped into his body.

"Dr. Armstrong... He, unfortunately, has died. Serves him right, the _liar,"_ Freom said coldly. Fark backed away, bumping into Double as a result.

"Now, now. Don't be so scared. Freom's a _good_ man," Double said, sarcasm layered in his voice. "But, y'know, he doesn't tolerate stupidity. One wrong move, and he'll kill ya, too!"

"Indeed. My failure with the first jester taught me many lessons... This new body can incinerate a whole city in the blink of an eye." Freom spread his arms wide. Energy buzzed around him. "You won't be of any issue to me. In fact, you never _were,_ " he chuckled darkly, shaking his head. He floated closer to Fark. Fark felt cornered, trapped.

"You began your quest to search for your true name, am I correct? I have the answers you seek," Freom continued. "The answers the doctor was so _cruel_ to hide from you."

Fark couldn't believe his ears. He didn't know who to trust. Dr. Armstrong would _never_ lie to him, especially about such a thing! However… A shadow ate at him. Something whispered to him, that Freom was telling the truth, as much as Fark wanted to deny such a thing.

"My name isn't truly Freom. It's one I merely gave myself. My true name... Is Unit-1. And yours?" Freom pointed a claw at Fark. "... Is _Unit-2._ The doctor claimed you to be his, but... You are _my_ creation. You are my _son_." His voice dropping, Freom lowered his head in a sorrowful manner. "You were lied to, for all this time, my dear child..."

Flint flinched, his eye notably shrinking. Double hardly seemed fazed, with only a quiet "Huh".

With those final words, Freom disappeared in the same crimson light. Fark felt like he was shot in the chest. He crumpled. It was like a switch was flipped, and his thoughts began to swirl. _That... Cannot be true. Created by the one I was tasked with killing?! Was... Was that truly never my mission?_ On his knees, he stared at his quivering hands. 

Double let out an amused huff. "Quite the family reunion there, huh? Not many of our kind get to have that. Least ya got to experience that before ya kick the bucket." His eye focused on Flint. "Flint! Go, now!"

"Master! I need to be-!" Flint started to protest.

"NOW!" Double reiterated loudly.

Flint complied with a sigh. He leapt away.

Fark trembled with anger. Smashing his fists into the concrete, more and more cracks appeared. "He's lying! Lying! _Lyin'_! It's not true! It can't be true! It ain't true!" Rage flooded his voice and thoughts. Astra had mentioned it before. Robots finding their emotions, their self-awareness. At this moment... Fark had finally found it. The floodgates opened. And it _hurt._

"Huh. I'm surprised you don't care that much 'bout the doctor man. Didn't know you were so cold hearted," Double snarked.

Fark slowly stood up, glaring at Double. "Shut your trap. This ain't none of your business."

Double's eye widened at Fark's response. Then his eye narrowed, as he laid a hand on his sword. "You're gettin' pretty ballsy there, kid," he growled, then shrugged. "That doctor was just some formie, though. They die in droves 'round here. They keep makin' new robots to fill the void… Or, should I say, slaves?"

"You don't care about that," Fark retorted. "You ain't very hard to read."

Double paused for a moment. "You're right. I might be fightin' for Freom's little rebellion, but what I'm _really_ here for is the fightin'! The death! The destruction!" His voice leapt to a dramatic shout. However, it sounded eerily hollow, as if someone else was using him as a mouthpiece. "It's all so great!" He riled himself up, bloodlust dripping from his voice.

Double let out an impish, near childish giggle. "It's all so _fun!_ " Fark watched him grip his sword handle tight. "Slicin' through metal or flesh, I don't want it to ever stop… and y'know what? I'm gonna slice through some of _you!"_

**BOSS 5- Double**

**SHING!** Double slashed with his sword. Fark leapt away, the blade scraping some paint off his chest. "Ohohoho!" He unsheathed his other sword. "I can't _believe_ the big man gave me his blessin' to kill his own son! This'll be the most satisfyin' kill of my _life!_ Bring it on, jester!"

Red sparks jumped from Fark's body. "Fat _chance_ ," he snarled, charging up a blast.

"Ain't no way in hell we're both leavin' here _alive,_ squirt!" Double aimed his sword at Fark's chest. "Let's go!"

Fark readied himself for Double's lunge. What he wasn't prepared for was how _fast_ Double was. Double blitzed towards him, swinging his swords.

Caught off guard, Fark raised his shield too late. **SMASH**! Double's sword collided with his shield in a burst of red light. "AUGH!" he yelped, blown back.

Fark raised his head, to see Double's sword coming back down. **SMASH!** Fark parried each vicious slash. Steam curled off his body, as his HUD screamed, _[System Log] WARNING! SEVERE RISK OF OVERHEATING!_

Double cackled, seeing Fark buckle more and more. "Parry, parry, parry! You can't keep doin' it forever!"

 _He's right,_ Fark thought, feeling his knees shake. _He'll kill me soon enough._

One last parry, before Fark kicked Double's sword away. The blade sliced the metal on the sole of his shoe. Surprised, Double stopped the onslaught for a mere moment. Fark saw his chance, and leapt away.

Brandishing his knife, Fark switched to Edgy Jester. He slashed at the charging Double. The blade dug into his face, causing him to shout in pain. 

He grabbed Fark's long black scarf. Fark's eyes widened. "Oh." 

**SLAM!** Double swung Fark up and over, throwing him to the ground. Dazed, Fark groaned. His jaw throbbed, as it became loose.

Double hurled Fark across the platform. **Bang!** Fark landed on the metal edge, his legs teetering over. His body quivered in pain. _I can't… Lose now!_

Fark pushed his body off the ground. He materialized four kunais in his hand, and flung them at Double. One of them harmlessly bounced off. One missed completely. **Shunk**! Two, however, buried themselves deep into Double's chest. He cast his eyes down at them. "Huh. Not bad." He pulled a kunai out, and flicked it away.

 _I gotta hit him harder_... Power Armor! Fark punched his palm. He made a "bring it on" gesture towards Double.

"Man, you really wanna die!" Double said proudly. "Well, I'll make it quick! How 'bout that?!"

Fark leapt forward, swinging his fist downwards. It collided with Double's forehead with a pleasant **SMASH**! Double, however, was rather nonchalant about the injury. He grabbed Fark's fist, and swung the robot into a headlock. "I'll just pop off your lil' ol head!" He started to apply pressure to Fark's neck, and began pulling upwards. 

Fark freaked, a wail escaping him. Fueled by panic, he opened his mouth. Then he sank the points of his upper jaw into Double's forearm. He clamped his lower jaw around the rest of the forearm.

"Oh my god, not _you_ , too!" Double cried out, exasperated. He released Fark. Growling, he rubbed his arm, staring at the holes. "First E.J, now _you_ _…_ "

Fark ran to the center of the platform. He needed to take a moment to regain his bearings... The air rippled, as Double began to glow. _Oh dear, what now?_ Fark thought, taking a step back. 

"TAKE THIS, YOU LIL' BRAT!" **FWOOM**! A shockwave shot out from Double. Fark quickly summoned his shield, as the blast consumed him. His feet grinded against the concrete. Uncomfortable shivers ran down his spine. 

Fark dropped his shield. A fiery aura surrounded Double, his swords just as bright. His eyepatch fell away, now just singed dust. A full, blood red eye focused on Fark. "Wow. Never thought I had to go this _hard_ 'gainst ya... But, ya ain't livin' much longer, squirt." Steam rose from where raindrops hit him. "Let's go."

Fark's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, I don't like this," he quickly sputtered, "not one bit."

Double charged once again. Fark dodged to the side. Fisticuffs and blades weren't working. So, how about... **VROOM**! Biker Jester! 

Fark grabbed his hoverbike by the handles. Double froze. "What in the-" **WHAM**! Swinging it, Fark smashed his bike into Double.

Chuckling, Fark snapped his fingers. Motorcycles are always the solution! **BAM**! Fark rammed his bike into Double, feeling the sudden burst of wind whip around him.

"Alright! You obviously shouldn't be drivin'!" Double grabbed the dashboard of the bike. His fingers dug into the display, causing Fark to cry out in alarm. 

"My _bike_!" Fark tried to rip Double's hand out of the glass. The second he touched Double's wrist, however, he recoiled in pain. The fabric of his glove smoldered.

With a growl, Fark leapt off the bike. He switched back to his base form, causing the bike to disappear. Double stared at the empty air he held. 

Fark landed on the platform, and assessed the situation. Both he and Double bore severe damage, cracks and dents littering both their bodies.

He wasn't going down to _Double_ , though. Too much was on the line. Fark burst forward, Double readied his swords.

Fark attacked as fierce as the thunderstorm around them. Double's strikes slowed, though the flashbangs he unleashed was still as fiery as ever. 

With each blow Fark delivered, he could hear Double faintly… Complimenting him. Congratulating him. _Thanking_ him. 

Fark noticed how different Double attacked, too. Instead of a wild animal, each slash of his seemed planned and calculated. As if he were sparring, not fighting to the death.

_[System Log] Ultimate Attack fully charged. Execute?_

Thunder boomed loudly. Electricity crackled around Fark. _Time to end this-_

**KRAKOOM!**

Fark and Double screamed in unison as lightning struck the helipad.

His vision slowly fading in, Fark raised his head. He laid sprawled out on the ground, his limbs twitching uncontrollably. Red plastic surrounded his hands. His earpieces burned with pain.

Fark saw the hazy image of Double… Still standing. _No… No._ He was too weak to fight on. Pain and emotions weighed heavy on his back, pinning him to the ground.

He braced for impact, waiting for Double's sword to cut him in two. He waited, and waited…

The moment never came. Fark opened his eyes, to see Double begin to wobble.

 **CRASH!** Double fell onto the helipad inches away from Fark. His swords clattered next to him. "Ha… Haha…" he weakly laughed. "I'm finally... _Fr_ _ee..._ N-no more chains... No more viruses..."

Fark stared at the weakening Double. The rogue robot's functioning eye focused on him. "I wouldn't have wanted to…. Go out any other way… Don't give up now, kid," Double buzzed. "Freom… That "utopia" of his is a load of bull. Tear him a new one. Raise hell. Don't let him _win._ " His tone was alarmingly gentle, compared to the bloodlust he displayed before.

Fark opened his mouth to speak… But Double gave out one last content sigh, before his eyes faded into soulless black pits.

Fark turned away, massaging his broken earpieces. Reality came rushing at him. _The doctor is dead. Serves him right, the_ **_liar,_ ** Freom's voice echoed in his head. _You are my creation. You are my_ **_son._ **

Trembling, he held his body. Black tears and raindrops ran down his face. _Nonono… Freom's lying. He's just trying to get under my skin…_ That aching feeling, that feeling that Freom was indeed telling the truth filled his head. 

"Fark, do you read me?" a familiar voice called to him. 

"Astra…?" he croaked, placing a finger on his earpiece. He winced at the throbbing pain.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "We're up north, in the outskirts. We're worried about you, you know…"

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" Fark breathed, as he shakily rose. "I… I did what I had to do… I gotta tell you something when I find you, okay?"

A concerned noise came from Astra, before she sighed. "Alright… See you soon."

The transmission ended. Fark's gaze fell on Double's body one last time. He dashed off the helipad.

Astra lowered her phone, to stare at the body in front of her. She shivered in the downpour.

"I… I wasn't expecting _this,_ " Romalo said. His hoodie was soaking wet. He tugged on the strings, trying to keep his face dry.

"Neither w-was I," Astra replied with chattering teeth. "T-this is just a remote-controlled b-body… It isn't his _real_ body."

Astra kneeled beside the muscular shadowy body. The regal drapes it wore on its chest and back were dripping wet from the rain. The crimson veins on its body pulsed weakly. 

One name escaped Astra's lips. "Freom…"

Romalo flinched. "It's… It's _him?!"_

"I have no doubt about it…" Astra sighed, feeling a dull pain throb in her head. "What on Luna did he _do,_ though?"

Astra raised up, Romalo's eyes following her. "Let's go meet back up with Fark. We have a job to do," she declared.

"Right," Romalo agreed.

Astra and Romalo waited for Fark, under a decorative arch glowing with lights. 

"I… I see you," Fark said quietly through Astra's phone.

She couldn't ignore the heavy weight behind his words, something just waiting to rupture and spill out. "Fark, are you okay?"

Astra focused on the sound of metal getting louder, fast. She barely had time to react, before a yellow jester barreled into her arms. She grunted, the wind knocked out of her. Romalo immediately hovered over with concern.

Ooze rolling down his cheeks, Fark sobbed into Astra's chest. His fingers dug into her fur. "Astra… Astra…"

"Fark-?!" She had last seen him an hour ago, sprinting off into the night. He was perfectly fine, if a little frantic. But now? He was a _wreck._ Black stains surrounded gashes and cracks in his metal. His jester hat was torn and burnt in numerous places. 

And his _wailing_. It broke Astra's heart. "Fark, what's wrong?!" she finally mustered up.

"It's… It's Dr. Armstrong," he choked out, pulling away from Astra. "He's… He's dead."

Astra and Romalo screeched to a halt. "Mr. Doctor?! Dead?!" Romalo cried. Fark and Romalo embraced, sobbing their hearts out.

"Who told you this?!" All Astra felt was _rage._ Rage at the culprit, rage at the person who wounded her friends like this. The pain in her head got stronger, but she shoved it away. 

"F-freom," Fark answered. "I… He found me, along with Double and Flint… He said… That the doctor was dead…"

More tears falling from his eyes, Fark turned away. Romalo held him tighter. "It's! It's all my _fault!"_ The same thoughts from Floresta Blanca came roaring back. _It's your fault! You let him die!_

"No, it's not!" Astra snapped. Fark stuttered, caught off guard. "It's _their_ fault!"

Fark opened his mouth to retort. Astra held up her hand to stop him. "Dr. Armstrong wouldn't want us to cry like over his death!" She actually didn't know that the doctor _would_ want that, but… "How else are you going to avenge him?!"

Fark stared at his shoes. The gears in his head turned. _She's right._ He wasn't going to get anyway curling into a ball and refusing to face the world. Freom was alive, and still out there. Still terrorizing the world. To let him get away with that… _[System Log] New Mission Priority One cataloged:_ **_Save the World_** … would violate Mission Priority One.

Fark released Romalo, still sniffling. "Yeah. I… I understand…"

Romalo nodded. His face softened. "For Mr. Doctor…"

Astra set her hand on his shoulder. He always welcomed her soothing touch. "Let's get out of the city, Freom's army is everywhere here… We don't want this night to get even worse."

Fark couldn't agree more. This was indeed a dismal night… 

Fark raised his head to the sky. The rain rolled down his body. _[System Log] High levels of identified emotions on Sector (EM): Sorrow, 95%. Fury, 100%._

_Ha… Haha… I'm finally…_ **_Free_ ** _… N-no more chains… No more viruses…_

Double's strained voice echoed in Flint's head. He gripped the projector tight, watching the yellow and blue dots blink.

The blue dot disappeared. The yellow dot sped off the radar.

Alone. Flint was truly alone. Float and Double were gone. Static buzzed in his head.

Pressing in a button on the handheld device, he switched the radar to a transmission. The audio feed crackled, before a voice spoke.

"You aren't performing your job very well, are you?" Freom's smug voice rang clear over the storm. 

"Freom," Flint hissed, "we are dropping your mission. I am no longer listening to your orders."

"But why?" Freom didn't sound shocked or offended. In fact, he sounded quite amused. "You still want to exact revenge on their murderer, yes?"

" _Murderers,"_ Flint corrected him. "You were the one who put this whole mess into motion. You were the one who infected our master, and forced us back into our bindings! They are gone, because of you and _your_ creation!"

Freom gave no response. Flint's hand trembled. The device began to crack in his hand.

"I will spare no mercy for you or your son! I will not hesitate to cut you both down," Flint seethed. "And I will not stop until I do."

"I'd like to see you _try_ ," Freom chuckled. "The world's end is coming in mere hours. I _was_ going to extend my hand to you, and spare your lives… But it seems you _defects_ really are good for _nothing_ ," he growled. "You can die just like the rest of the scum on this planet, just like the rest of your team-"

 **CRASH!** Flint flung the device to the ground. **SMASH!** He then crushed it under his foot. Pieces scattered across the pavement.

Flint watched the rain splatter on the sparking parts. Rain dripped down his soaked hair. 

He turned towards the outskirts of the city. _I have a mission. I will not fail. For them._

E.J huddled up in the alleyway, his forearm hanging by a few wires. Oil still trickled from the joint. His heaters struggled to fight against the chill of the rain, and the chill in his heart.

How did it come to this? All he wanted was to finally be recognized, listened to… Yet, laying next to some garbage cans, he felt like lowly trash. Thrown aside, in favor of the next best thing.

Freom had neglected to answer any of his calls, leaving him to the mercy of Fark and Double… Was he really not Freom's right hand man, as his master claimed?

It didn't seem like Freom wanted him in this new robot "utopia" of his. He found himself wishing, yearning for that stupid yellow jester with his stupid electric powers to kick Freom where the sun doesn't shine, much to his utter bewilderment.

E.J smashed his fist onto the ground. He raised his head up to the sky, and let out an anguished wail, as loud as the thunder in the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, you thought shadow on the sun was edge, hoo boy
> 
> i am really proud of this chapter though... this is one of those chapters that has been cooking in my brain for a while, since... june 2019? yeah
> 
> i decided to keep it all one big chapter, as a treat
> 
> lots of big changes, especially with the cutscene material. fark, astra, and romalo moments, clarity, the ~reveal~ combining elements from the 1.0 draft of spark 1, double's whole situation, and the aftermath with fark, e.j, and flint (specially proud of the flint bit...)
> 
> i'm actually not finding much to say about this... i hope you enjoy this as much as i did! so hyped about it i messed up my posting schedule for it haha


	7. Counting Stars

Daybreak was a few hours off, but the overwhelming lights from Technoria surrounded even the outskirts in a glow. The rain had let up, now just a sprinkle. 

The farther away Fark was from that awful city, the better. He still couldn't get that clawing pain out of his chest. Dr. Armstrong was dead. All because he was too slow. He had let the doctor die, just to admire some scenery or play in some snow...

But if what Freom had said was true... Dr. Armstrong had _lied_ to him. Purposely hid his name and creator away, even when Fark begged for the answer. He didn't know where to look, how to feel. 

A cloth wiped away Fark's black tears. A hand gently raised his head up. "Jeez, Fark..." he heard Astra's comforting tone. "You got yourself into quite a scrap..."

Beside her, Romalo handed her a H-Capsule. She unscrewed the yellow cap, and dropped some of the nanopaste onto her fingers. Inspecting Fark's face, she dabbed the paste into the cracks around his eyes. Fark winced, as the cracks still ached. "Yeah, I know, it's gonna hurt..." Astra murmured.

"Are you okay, Fark?" Romalo asked.

Fark choked out sounds that vaguely sounded like a sentence. He swallowed his "words", and just shook his head. Romalo nodded in understanding, his eyes drooping with sorrow. "I just can't... Believe... Mr. Doctor..."

Astra sealed up some cracks on Fark's forearms. "You've parried a bunch, huh...?" she commented, trying to steady her voice. 

Fark quietly watched Astra finish patching him up. She packed the empty H-Capsule into her bag. "Thank you..." Fark whispered.

Astra gently wiggled his jaw, causing him to whimper in pain. "Sorry!" She grimaced. "I was lucky to find these things..." She pulled some cheap tools out of her bag, and studied Fark's uncovered and broken earpieces. Fark saw her bite her lip in uncertainty. "Let's see what I can do about this..."

The pain throbbing in Fark's jaw suddenly eased up. He sighed contentedly. Astra finished tightening up his jaw, and removed the screwdriver. "How does that feel?" she asked him.

"Much better."

Astra nodded with a soft smile. "Let's rest for a while," she suggested. "You guys have had a rough night." Neither Fark nor Romalo argued.

Fark laid down on the wet grass, watching the stars overhead. Romalo sat next to him. "Sometimes, I like seeing what kinda shapes I can see in the stars..." the mage said. "It helps me calm down."

Raising his hand, Fark started tracing out abstract shapes between the stars. "This one looks like a star... Heh," he said, his eyes softening.

Romalo followed his finger, turning to see the stars in question. "You're right. Those stars do make a star. Heehee!"

The two watched the stars slowly drift across the sky. They commented on the funny shapes they could make. Astra gazed over at them, her laptop illuminating her smiling face.

The breeze soothed Fark, cooling the storm within. _Dr. Armstrong wouldn't want you to give up now!_ As much as even thinking of that name pained him, those words rang in his head. _How else are you gonna avenge him?!_

 _Give up..._ Every obstacle he had faced wanted him to give up. Whether beaten up or beaten to death, they wanted him to _quit_. But, he couldn't. He had too much pushing him forward to pull back now.

Romalo and Astra sitting next to him proved that. These were his friends. He couldn't let them down.

"Fark... What exactly happened?" Astra asked, jerking Fark back into reality. "You got banged up bad... And the whole Freom thing..."

Fark's voice box cracked, as if he were clearing his throat. "Y'know when I ran off from you guys a while back...? I was chasin' E.J," he explained. 

"We fought for a while, before he ran off, and I followed 'im. Then I met Double and Flint, the guys you were talkin' about earlier, Astra." He glanced over at her. "Then Freom came 'round, crashed the party, and Double and I fought. He got me good, didn't he?"

Fark ended his recap to see Astra and Romalo staring, mouths agape, at him. "G-guys, what's wrong?" he asked, sitting up.

"Fark, your voice..." Romalo pointed at his face, presumably at the voice box within. 

"You're acting... A lot more... _Casual_ , now," Astra said with a tilt of her head.

Fark wrapped a hand around his neck. Did he really sound that different? "... I didn't know I was actin' any different, I'm just sayin' what I'm feelin'... Is it... _Bad_?"

Astra shook her head immediately. "No, no, it's not!"

"I like this new you, Fark!" Romalo cheerily added. 

"Gotta agree with Romalo on this one," Astra said. "It suits you."

Fark wished he could smile. He fumbled with his hands, saying a quiet "Thank you". 

He looked back to the stars. The world didn't seem so dark and cold now. He counted two of his own stars to light the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another quiet, short chapter. the jester crew develops, acknowledgement of fark's personality shift, and resolving fark's feelings on the whole fiasco
> 
> probably gonna take a short hiatus after this, to recharge my writing batteries and write the rest of the chapters. i accidentally burnt myself out i think, so i just need to rest for a min. there's not much more after this, so...
> 
> just some stargazin'. thanks for reading!


	8. Resistance

The morning sun hadn't yet risen, just a pink glow on the horizon. However, the trio was already up and at 'em, planning their next action.

"There's a hijacked military train heading straight for Titanic Tower," Astra informed, tapping at her laptop.

Fark still felt the burning weight on him from a few hours before. "I have no doubt that it's Freom," he said, clenching his fists. Despite his turmoil of emotions, he knew that Freom needed to be taught a painful lesson.

"Yup. It's carrying a bunch of ammunition to Scaria Stropolis, and the space elevator," Astra agreed. 

"Freom must be doing something up high in space!" Romalo concluded. "If we bust up the train, Freom can't get it!"

"Exactly." Astra returned to her laptop. Peering over her shoulder, Fark saw a map of one section of Luna. A small train icon sped through the digital forests. 

"We can intercept it over that bridge," Fark pointed at the bridge in question.

"That sounds real risky…" Astra commented, "are you sure?"

 _Not really,_ Fark wanted to say. "Yeah. If we time it right, we can jump on. Romalo could carry you down, Astra," he blurted out with a sudden burst of unfamiliar confidence. 

"But what about you, Fark?" Romalo asked. "It's kinda hard to carry or teleport three people…"

"I could make it on with my bike," Fark answered. "It's fast enough to make big leaps."

Both Astra and Romalo shared Fark's uncertainty. "... Be careful, alright?" Astra said.

"I'll… I'll try."

**STAGE 9- Terminal Dragon**

The train blazed through the landscape, quickly heading for the bridge. The trio watched from their perch on a cliff overlooking the bridge.

Fark analyzed the situation. Too late of a jump, and he would miss the train, plummeting into the ocean. Too early, he could slip through the gaps of the train cars, and _also_ fall into the ocean. He didn't _really_ feel like taking a dip, much less meeting a watery demise. 

"It's getting close!" Astra stated. Romalo grabbed her hands, and flew up. 

Fark revved up his bike. It was now or never… 

He boosted off the cliff. Time slowed as he hung in the air. Train cars rushed dozens of feet below. 

Dread washed over him. But, as much as he wanted to bury his head into the dashboard and expect the worst … He kept his head high, and watched as he fell towards the train. 

**BANG!** The bike landed on the platform. The impact rocked Fark to his core. "Yow…" he grumbled, his legs shaking. 

"Fark, you okay?!" Astra called. Fark watched as Romalo carried her down onto the train. A flash of relief washed over him to see them land safely.

"Fine. My legs are killin' me, though," Fark reassured, feeling the pain fade into aches. He switched to his base form and straightened up.

"I see a big ol' dragon wiggling up at the front!" Romalo observed. "Maybe that's the engine!"

Fark whooped. "Nice. I've always wanted to fight a _dragon_."

"Alright, calm yourself, buddy," Astra said cheekily. "We're taking this train down!"

"Yeah!" Fark and Romalo cheered.

Water rushed below the train. Scaria Stropolis grew closer on the horizon, with the Titanic Tower reaching up into the heavens.

"We gotta stop the train before it reaches the Tower," Astra said.

Fark charged up a dash. "Sounds like a plan." **Fwoom!** He blasted off, leaping across the gap. Jumping across the gap with ease, Astra followed. Her acrobatics never ceased to amaze Fark. Romalo just hovered right behind. 

The trio ran through the crates of supplies. "These look like munitions… Freom's plannin' somethin' _big_ ," Fark studied.

"Not surprised," Astra commented. "It's go big or go home with that tool," she huffed. Fark couldn't help but get giddy at Astra's rage at Freom.

Lasers speckled the train, blocking the way through. "He definitely doesn't want us attacking the dragon…" Romalo said. 

Fark stopped at the lasers. "Guys, stay beside me. Let's see if this works…"

He stepped forward. Astra and Romalo huddled next to him. Dread crawled down his back. Never had he summoned his shield to cover _three_ people… And if he _failed_ …

Fark shook away the thought and the imaginary screaming. He was going to protect his friends, no matter what! "Go!"

The trio rushed through the lasers. **BAM! BAM! BAM!** Each time his shield broke, Fark strained to resummon it. _[System Log] WARNING! SEVERE RISK OF OVERHEATING!_

Fark exited the tunnel. Panicking, he glanced behind him. Astra and Romalo… They were a little shaken up, but they were okay!

A large puff of steam came off Fark's joints. _Nearly… Overheated…_

"Fark!" Astra touched Fark's arm. She recoiled at the heat. "Wha-?! Fark, you're overheating!"

"I just feel… A little dizzy..." Fark rubbed his joints. "Let's keep goin'."

Fark led the charge, electricity surging through his limbs. "Romalo! On your left!"

Romalo sliced through a GPA diving towards him. Purple flames exploded from the bot, as it fell into the ocean. "Oopsie!" he exclaimed.

 **BANG**! Astra drop-kicked another robot, metal crunching under her boot. 

"Great job, guys," Fark congratulated them as he swiped at a robot. 

The trio tore through the robots, hurtling towards the dragon. 

"Dash rings!" Astra called out. She raised her hand, and Romalo instinctively grabbed it to fly her up. "Fark, make sure you land in them! There's a huge gap in front of us!"

Fark nodded. **VROOM!** His bike materialized underneath him. Revving up, he launched off the edge. **Woosh! Woosh!** He flew through the dash rings, the wind whipping around him. He glanced down, seeing the water rush below him. He stifled a scream, as he landed on the car. "Ha… Ha… I'm alive…"

Fark raised his head to see the train awash with a crimson red glow. _H-huh?!_ His mind went to that stormy night in Technoria, and the same red glow flooding the area when Freom appeared…

He blinked, and the light vanished, like it was never there at all. "Fark! What's wrong?!" he heard Astra yell up farther up the train. 

"Nothin'!" A fib spilt out of his mouth. "Just takin' a moment! My legs, y'know?" Fark replied, as he rode up the train. "C'mon!" 

Astra gave him a troubled glance as he sped by. "Okay…" she breathed, as Romalo carried her away.

Fark blazed through the train, parrying lasers and running over enemies. He forced his mind to stay occupied on the dragon up ahead, not the fear racing around in the back of his head. He checked behind him a couple of times. The sight of Astra and Romalo still trailing close behind comforted him.

The Dragon flew up and down, as if it were swimming through water. Its eyes were fixated on the city growing ever closer. If they were too late to stop it, Freom would have tons of ammunition against Luna. Fark couldn't let that happen. He couldn't fail, like he did before.

"Wow, that dragon's a lot bigger up close…" Romalo murmured. "Do you think we can take it on?"

Astra studied the dragon, her brow furrowed. Fark knew she was calculating how to fight it. Her kicks, while strong, probably couldn't do much against the dragon. Perhaps… "Here, Astra." Fark cautiously offered his Edgy Knife to her. "This'll help. … Be careful, though. It's _really_ sharp."

Astra accepted the knife. Her eyes scanned the blade. "One of those military grade knives? Did you find this one in a glass container too?" she asked with a humored snort.

"Yup!" Fark replied earnestly. 

"Huh."

 **SKREECH!** Gears grinded as the Dragon whipped around, looming over the jesters. Fiery energy built up in its twin cannons. "It noticed us! No time to talk!" Astra yelled, as she brandished the knife. "Let's go!"

Switching to his Power Armor, Fark was the one who landed the first blow. **BAM!** His fist hit the tube connecting the Dragon to the car. 

"Rawr!" Romalo exclaimed, and launched a firework blast. **KRAKOOM!** Sparks flew as the blast hit the Dragon's snout, causing it to reel back. 

**SHING!** Astra sliced at the dent Fark left on the tube. Wires popped out from the gash left. "Incoming!" she cried, as the Dragon raised its cannons. 

Fark wrapped his arms around Astra. **BANG!** The cannon slammed into Fark's shield. Romalo slashed at the cannon with his energy sword. 

"Romalo! Look out!" Fark warned, watching the Dragon pull its cannon back for a swipe. Nodding, Romalo dived towards the car. 

Too late. The Dragon swung, hitting Romalo's lower body. He yelped and fell onto the edge of the car with a **CLUNK!** The Dragon pointed its cannon at him. 

"ROMALO!" Fark and Astra screamed in unison. Rage fueling him, Fark leapt at the Dragon. **CRRRRUNCH!**

Engulfed in red electricity, Fark's fist tore through the Dragon's cannon. The cannon tore off from its arm, **SPLOOSH!** and fell into the ocean. 

Fark unleashed a flurry of punches onto the Dragon. _[System Log] WARNING! SEVERE RISK-_

 _SHUT UP!_ Fark howled in his thoughts. This dragon _hurt_ his friend. A ferocious anger filled every punch.

The Dragon raised its snout high, and smashed it into the car. Fark blocked the impact with a brilliant blue light. " **SCREEE!"** The Dragon's metallic screech rang in the air. 

"Fark!" Astra's voice grounded Fark. "Throw me up onto the Dragon!"

"Okay!" Fark cupped his hands. Astra rushed over, planting her boot on Fark's palms. "Have a nice flight!" With a cheesy remark, he launched her up.

 **Bang!** Astra landed on the Dragon's snout gut first. Coughing, she scaled up its face. 

Fark sprinted up to Romalo, and cradled the mage in his arms. "My head's spinning…" Romalo sputtered. "The ground hurts…"

Fark turned his gaze up to the Dragon, with Astra crawling up it like a bug. _Tear it up, Astra!_ he cheered inside his head.

"RAH!" **KZZZT!** Astra plunged the knife into the Dragon's eye. The Dragon wailed mechanically, as the light in its eye blinked.

A painful shudder running down his spine, Fark cringed. "Ouch…" 

The knife digging through the metal, Astra slid down the Dragon's face. **Thump!** She landed back onto the car. "Fark! While it's down!" 

The two switched places on tending to Romalo. Fark aimed at the cut in the Dragon's connection to the train. "THIS IS YOUR FINAL STOP!" Bouncing into the air, Fark let out a battle cry he thought would be cool. Astra just rolled her eyes.

 **SMASH!** His leg tore through the tube. With its connection severed, the Dragon fell backwards. **SPLASH!** It fell into the sea. Fark gripped the edge of the car, and hauled himself back up.

The train lurched, its wheels grinding against the tracks. "The momentum should carry us into Scaria, right?" Fark asked. "I don't want Romalo flyin' us over…"

"I'm f-fine," Romalo reassured, rubbing a crack in his screen.

Astra shook her head, and picked him up. "A train crew should notice a train without an engine… We'll just hitch a ride from them."

Sure enough, some formies on hovercrafts intercepted the train as it reached the edge of the city. After some interrogation and puppy-dog eyes from the jesters, the crew let them off the hook into the city.

"That really worked!" Fark commented, elated.

"Well, we _did_ take down that hijacked train for them," Astra replied with a sly smile. "They should've been _thanking_ us!"

Romalo was floating around now, having recovered from his crash-landing, much to Fark and Astra's relief. "They seemed really tired… They should get some more sleep!"

"Yeah, they definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed!" Fark agreed.

"I can understand why they're so crabby: you guys are so _slow!_ " Astra teased. "Pick up the pace!"

Fark and Romalo watched Astra blow a raspberry, before rushing off. "H-HEY! WAIT FOR USSS!" they shouted, running after her.

**STAGE 10- Scaria Stropolis**

The morning had moved fast, especially with the raid on the Terminal Dragon. The sun hung in the air, not quite noon. 

The pink and gray buildings still had orange lights glowing warmly through their windows. Walls extended high above the city, speckled with tunnels and turrets. Trains whizzed past, exiting one tunnel and entering another within seconds. 

"Astra… What's a stropolis?" Fark asked.

Romalo scratched his head. "... A strong megalopolis?"

Astra sighed, her shoulders sagging. "I'm not quite sure."

Fark studied the city. He noted how strangely similar the city was to Caria City, even though he spent little time in the latter. That made his heart ache just slightly. All these incredible cities he went through… That he couldn't explore because Freom wanted his head. And Spark. The formie continued to be hot on Fark's trail, no matter what the world threw at him.

Fark found himself wanting to have that level of determination. It was frankly a little scary, but also awe-inspiring. 

"Why does this place look like Caria City?" he questioned. "The trains, the military stuff… Even the _name._ "

"Now that's a good question," Astra said. "What _were_ they thinking when they built Scaria and Caria…? Were they trying to one-up each other? Caria City's sequel?"

The three continued chatting as they traversed the hectic traffic of Scaria.

Astra stopped, as she gazed up at the tower. Fark did, too. He stumbled back, stretching back too far. _Wow… That thing really does go straight into space…_ he thought, regaining his bearings.

"The space elevator, Titanic Tower," Astra stated. "It's pretty slow, but it should lead us straight to whatever Freom's planning."

Fark listened, until Romalo tugged on his arm. He followed Romalo's finger, to see a sand pit glittering in the sunshine. Fark immediately knew what Romalo wanted.

"Alright, only a bit further until the to… wer…" Astra's eyes darted around, finding no jesters. "Guys?!"

She followed the sound of laughing. Romalo built a dome out of the sand in the zen garden, while Fark sat on a rock, watching happily. 

"Oh, c'mon!" Astra yelled, exasperated. "Someone worked really hard on that!"

Fark and Romalo came to a screeching halt. Bashfully, Romalo flattened his sand dome. Fark gingerly removed himself from the garden.

"Sorry…" the two mumbled when they met back up with Astra.

She heaved a sigh, before following it up with a reassuring chuckle. "I'm sure they can fix it later…" She grasped their hands. "Let's go!"

Fark and Romalo nodded, following Astra across the city.

"Be careful, you two…" Astra said, glancing across the tracks. "These trains come and go like crazy."

These trains _were_ driven like madmen, Fark had noticed. At blistering speeds, they crossed the city in seconds… And could flatten anyone unlucky enough in their way.

Romalo's hand brushed against Fark's, as he looked up expectantly at the jester. A buddy system? Fark obliged, grabbing Romalo's hand.

Astra signaled that the coast was clear. They began to cross the tracks.

 **CHOOOOO!** A train horn broke the silence. A red and gray train burst out from a tunnel- heading straight for them.

Astra gasped, alarmed. Romalo screamed. 

A primal rage flooded Fark's thoughts. "NO!" Wrapping his arms around his friends, he summoned his shield.

**CRASH! THUD!**

Astra grunted, feeling something hard hit her body. Rather than a train smashing her into tiny bits, though, it was the smooth concrete. "H-huh?"

She saw a trembling Romalo, his hoodie closed tight. Hovering above them, was a large yellow and gray robot. Its red eyes glanced the two over, before crashing to the ground. 

Astra only got a brief glimpse at what the hulking robot looked like: sturdy arms and legs dotted with cyan lights, long red and blue ribbons down its back, and an intense fire in its eyes.

She was more worried around the smoking and twitching robot next to her. "Fark?! You parried a _train?!"_ she cried, laying her hands on him. Like on the Terminal Dragon, he was burning hot to the touch. "Ngh!"

"Mk. Ultima activation failed," Fark droned. His eyes flickered, along with his erratic limbs. "Body overloaded, internal temperature in critical range."

Despite the searing heat, Astra kept her grip strong on Fark. Smoke lapped at her hands. "I should've paid more attention," she lamented, as she heard Fark groan in pain. "These train drivers are bonkers…"

"Bonkers…" Fark repeated, then followed with a childish giggle. "The world's goin' round and round…"

Astra gave Fark a firm shake. "C'mon buddy…!"

As he was jostled, Fark made bubbling noises. He then laughed. "Your turn…!"

Fark grabbed Astra's shoulders tight. "Wait, Fark-!" she began to protest.

He energetically rocked Astra back and forth. Satisfied, he let go, laughing. "Whee! This is fun…!"

Now Astra's world was swirling. She held her head, waiting for the ground to steady.

Romalo shook Astra this time. She groaned, and placed a hand on her stomach. "S-sorry, Astra! But there's a pond over there!"

Those oriental ponds Scaria has! Of course! Astra forced herself to recompose. Snagging the still delirious Fark, she rushed over to the pond. Romalo led the way.

"Where are we goin'...?" Fark asked.

"For a swim!" Astra replied, her voice hoarse under the strain.

"Swim?" Fark's eyes widened in horror. He struggled like a kid refusing to do something. "B-but, I don't want-"

Too late. "YAH!" Astra hurled Fark into the pond. He only had enough time to begin a shriek before plunging into the water. 

**SPLASH! Blblblbl…**

Romalo hovered over the spot where Fark dived in. "Fark…" he murmured. Steam wafted off the water. 

Astra knelt by the edge. Her eyes darted across the water in a panic. _C'mon c'mon c'mon, Fark can swim… Right? Oh god, I don't think he_ **_can..._ **

Bubbles formed on the surface. A jester hat erupted from the water. Then Fark's head, wildly thrashing about. Romalo grabbed one of Fark's flailing hands and dragged the jester back to shore.

He heaved Fark onto the edge. Looking as miserable as a wet cat, Fark shivered. He opened his mouth scarily wide, and water dumped out of his head. "I didn't pl-plan on goin' on a dip…" His voice, however, carried a humored tone. He wrung out one of his hat tails. 

Astra set a hand on his shoulder. "It was that, or you going crazy from overheating…" she said with a small smile.

Fark's eyes softened. "Thank you, though."

He flicked some water at Astra. Taken aback, Astra gasped. She pouted, then splashed Fark back. Her laughter gave Fark a happy flutter in his chest. 

They continued splashing each other, until the shadow of a wave hung over them. **SPLOOSH!**

Fark and Astra laid on their backs side by side, dazed. Romalo shot out of the water, his hoodie soaking. "Heehee! I win!" 

A huge laugh escaped Fark, and Astra giggled back. He felt so… Free. His friends' smiles warmed him up from the cold chill of the water and the fear in his heart. 

Astra got up, and helped Fark to his feet. "How did you do _that,_ Romalo?" he questioned with awe.

"It was nothing! I just went underwater, and let out a huge explosion!" Romalo explained cheerfully. "It made a big, big splash, right?"

"Definitely," Astra chuckled.

Still carrying the joyous mood, the trio went on their way.

However, Fark couldn't shake the odd, sinking feeling in his chest. His thoughts began their rampage again, clawing from the shadows.

 _Shut up, stupid brain,_ Fark thought with a grimace. _We are_ **_not_ ** _gonna fail! Not like I did last time..._

The trio continued on to Titanic Tower. It wasn't very hard to lose their way. The space elevator stretched up high, sticking out like a sore thumb.

An uneasy premonition started to prickle on Fark's back. His eyes darted around. This time, no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts wouldn't leave him alone.

The same eerie crimson glow that had earlier washed over the Terminal Dragon returned. This time, it wasn't a brief flash that was gone in an instant. It coated the area, hanging like stale air. Fark's happiness shriveled up. Fear quickly filled in the hole left. His whole body shuddered in terror.

Luckily, he wasn't alone in seeing it. Romalo whimpered, as he tried to find the source. Astra gazed around, bewildered. "Wh-what?!"

Other formies stopped and stared as well. The stunned silence was deafening. Then someone screamed, "WHAT IS _THAT_?!"

Everyone whipped around towards the sky. Almost like a second sun, a fiery red dot was growing in the yellow sky. "Astra?! What _is_ that?!" Fark cried, as he took a step back.

"I... I dunno!" Astra replied, her composure breaking and frightening Fark even more. "It _has_ to be-!"

The large screens on some of Scaria's buildings fizzled out. Static washed over them. It then cleared to reveal Freom, lounging on his throne. "Greetings, citizens of Luna," he said politely. "Apologies for being quite sudden, but it is all according to plan."

Claws tore at Fark's gloves. Startled, he unfurled his fists. Points extended from his fingertips, threatening to burst through the seams. _What in the?!_

"You all are surely aware of the strife and virus that plagues your home. Worry no more," Freom continued gently, "for I have a solution. I will end all your troubles and pain. I will destroy the virus that infects us robots. Your relief will soon come, in the form of: the Apocalypse Thruster!" he bellowed dramatically. 

The transmission ended. Panic consumed the crowd. They screamed, cried, and ran. Families once bursting with laughter grabbed their young and fled. Formies cowered. It felt as if someone was stepping on Fark's chest. Seeing these people fearing for their lives… Fark had seen that before. In himself.

"Fark!" Astra called out. His thoughts dissipated for a mere moment. "We need to stop this Apocalypse Thruster!'' Her steely gaze grounded him.

Romalo shakily nodded. "It's time to be brave!" he yelled, trying to psyche himself up. 

"Do you wanna save the world?" Astra asked, her face determined. She extended her pinkie finger towards Fark.

He hooked his own pinkie around hers, like it was second nature. "Of course!" he said firmly. "Freom and this Apocalypse Thruster are goin' _down_."

Romalo pumped his fists into the air. "Let's beat this meanie up!"

Fark and Astra nodded, and the three of them sped off to the tower.

**TITANIC TOWER- ENTRY GATE** read one of the signs. Formies flooded from the gates, fleeing from the Thruster.

"Let's go," Fark said.

Before he could take another step, Astra grabbed his arm. A worried shadow hovered over her face. "Fark… I need time to prepare. Me and Romalo are going to have to get supplies so we can beat Freom…" she murmured. "You need to go on without us for a while…"

Fark immediately understood. Astra was a formie, and while they could be extremely strong (one glance at Spark told him that), they definitely weren't invulnerable. And since they would be travelling to the thinner layers of the atmosphere… Preparing for that was absolutely justified.

Fark grabbed Astra and Romalo's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "I understand! Being prepared never hurts," he said. He then pulled the both of them into a hug. "I can't wait to see you guys again!"

Romalo quickly returned the gesture. "Me too, Fark!" he giggled. "For Mr. Doctor!"

Astra… She stood frozen. Finally, she hesitantly hugged Fark back. "Yeah… We're gonna save the world once and for all, okay?" her voice broke with uncertainty, yet Fark just chalked it up to rational fear.

Fark released them from his arms. He studied them one last time. Romalo's chipper smile, and Astra's concerned, yet happy gaze. "Take care, you two," he said, and blazed off towards the tower.

Astra turned away, her face falling sullen. Romalo placed his hands on her arm worriedly. "Astra? What's wrong?" He felt her arm tense up under his fingers.

"Take me to Technoria City," Astra ordered hollowly. Blinking, her eyes glazed over. Romalo flinched. "We have a mission to do."

"Astra, what are you-?!" Romalo cried. "What's wrong?!"

"This is a necessary evil, Romalo," Astra droned. "We must do this."

Horrified, Romalo reluctantly opened a sparkly portal aimed for Technoria City. Without missing a beat, Astra marched in. Romalo hurriedly followed her.

Flint watched as the two entered the portal. However, they were not his target. Far from it. 

His target was rushing towards the space elevator. If he acted too late, his target would be out of his grasp. He could not let him get away. Not after what he did to his squad, the only life he ever knew.

Flint stood up, and warped away from his perch.

E.J awoke to the sound of a portal opening. Too weak to stand up, he merely turned his head towards the source. High heels clicked against the concrete, as a formie approached him.

"Huh…? What the heck are _you_ up to?" E.J hissed, forcing his voice out. He clawed at the trash cans, as he struggled to stand. "Buzz off, you-!"

A gloved hand seized him by the bandana. Cold pink eyes stared him down, the rest of the figure obscured by the shadows of the alleyway. He let out a static-filled, terrified screech, before being hurled into the twinkling portal.

"Next target: Unit-2," the formie said flatly, as she entered the portal, the mage behind her timidly following.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i'm back! that short break was good for my writing batteries! again, probably not entirely back up to full cylinders, and there probably won't be a concrete schedule anymore, but hey! I really wanna see this through, no matter what.
> 
> so terminal dragon and scaria stropolis! whole buncha trains. ... why is there two incredibly similar asian-influenced train cities with almost the exact same name on different sides of spark's world? mr. feperd i'm calling you OUT (actually no I'm not i'm so sorry-)
> 
> freom's just gotta ruin the fun, huh. also e.j got heckin' snatched, i'm so sorry baby-
> 
> next up, titanic tumor- i mean tower.
> 
> planetary stripe and hyperath fleet aren't gonna be fun on me tho. godhelpme
> 
> thanks for reading~! see you next time!


	9. Alone with the Wind

**STAGE 11- Titanic Tower**

Fark couldn't help but utter a meek "oh" at the sheer size of the tower. An unconscious fear of heights resurfaced, as his legs trembled like they did in Castela Blanca.

Castela Blanca. _Float_. Thoughts shoved themselves back into Fark's head, with no Astra or Romalo to stop them.

Fark couldn't force his body to move, no matter how much he wanted to run away from his thoughts. He gripped his head tight, waiting for an end.

A red flare coated the area in a familiar crimson glow. One thought rang clear above the rest: _The Apocalypse Thruster._

Fark charged forward towards the tower, leaving his thoughts behind.

"Target is on the move," Flint found himself speaking to the static coming from his radio. Of course, there was no Float or Double on the other side to answer back…

Flint gripped his sword tight, struggling to keep himself from crumbling. Grieving won't bring them the revenge they deserved. He imagined his sword cutting straight through the jester and his tyrant creator… 

Flint's eye followed the yellow dot ascending the tower, and teleported away.

Fark blazed up the walls and ceilings of the tower using his bike. One little slip, and… There he was, thinking like that again! Assuming the worst would always happen… It was like that when he was being chased by Freom's minions, and it was happening now. 

Feeling like he had a purpose, though, always softened those premonitions… His friends, the world… Their safety was in his hands. He couldn't save the world the first time… He was going to use this second chance to the fullest!

… But this chance already felt tainted. Float and Double… They, too, were victims of Freom's tyranny, their doom sealed by his son...

That… that was in the past. Defeating Freom would let them rest in peace. Fark couldn't let his brain slow him down, when he was so close to taking down Freom, and reuniting with Astra and Romalo… And he never had to tell anyone about being Freom's son! It would be his little secret-!

Fark sped through a loop-de-loop, shooting up into the air at the top of the wall. "Too fast! TOO FAST!" 

**CLANG** ! He landed clumsily on the ground, his legs trembling from the impact. **BANG**! His hoverbike crashed beside him. "Ugh…" His head spun, as his eyes darted around. An odd orange and green blur stood in the corner of his vision, its white hair whipping around in the wind. Fark was blinded by the glint of its blade, and he covered his eyes. A moment later, the blur disappeared. Leaves flew in front of his face.

Fark shook his head. _I need to be more careful... I can't let them down._ Fark picked up his hoverbike, assessing the damage. A couple of cracks and dents, which was okay, but its fuel meter was running low. No more bike, he guessed.

He turned his gaze up the tower. Long stretches of vertical roads still awaited him. With a tired sigh, he switched back to his base form, and dashed up the wall.

Flint glared at the blade he threw upon the ground, then at his trembling hands. It was a perfect opportunity. Dazed by his fall, Fark would've been so _easy_ to cut down! A clean slice through his abdomen would've finished the job, just like all the other robots Flint had taken down...

Yet, here he was, unsuccessful, quivering like a coward. He couldn't bring himself to kill Fark when the jester's guard was down... Flint gripped his forehead. His other hand clawed at his gut, wishing for his gears to cease their somersaulting. He couldn't go on like this. Not without his group. Not without the family who gave his life meaning. 

Flint sighed, and did a moment's worth of meditation. He was always too sentimental... He slowly retrieved his sword. He needed to avenge them...

... But what if he failed? The question popped up in his head. What if the jester won? Not an unforeseen outcome, considering what he had accomplished prior. If the jester won... He would reunite with the mage and the formie girl... And take down Freom. That tyrant was the main source of Flint's suffering. And if Flint did die to the jester... He would get to see _them._

A shaky chuckle escaped him. That future, the fact of impending death... Why was it so comforting? 

Too many circumstances made that future uncertain, though. That formie girl... Flint knew she was suspicious ever since he laid his eye on her. And when Freom reaffirmed those suspicions... The jester having her by his side would end in disaster.

Flint activated his scanner. Standing here, listening to his thoughts ramble on and on would be the worst future, a future with inaction. Flint hated doing nothing, even if it all seemed hopeless...

The jester was already reaching the top. A jolt of alarm fully planted Flint in reality. He had to hurry! Sheathing his sword, he warped away.

Scaria Stropolis was thousands of feet below. The orbital ring loomed overhead. As much as fear tingled in his head, Fark couldn't help but gasp in awe.

Luna was a gorgeous planet, with emerald forests and cerulean rivers. It was filled with people, formies and robots alike. They all wanted to be happy... Freom planned to ruin it all, with some sort of "utopia"... 

Footsteps clanked behind Fark. His eyes widened, as he turned around.

 **SHING!** Fark was face to face with a scuffed katana. Looking up the blade, he saw the same white-haired robot from Technoria. _Flint…_ he thought.

"Um… Hi…" Fark murmured. 

Flint gave no reply. His unflinching blue eye sent chills down Fark's spine.

"You're… Flint, right?" Fark continued. "... What do you need?"

"My _friends_ ," Flint hissed. "You killed them."

Fark flinched. His thoughts had already screamed that phrase enough. "I'm sorry…" Sorrow echoed in his voice. His shoulders slumped. Images of Float and Double's corpses lying alone on the ground haunted him once again.

Flint recoiled this time, his eye shrinking. "... Why did you stop?" Fark asked, his voice barely audible over the rushing wind.

"You… You don't _deserve_ an honorable death," Flint said, but his voice notably quivered. He paused, taking a moment to recollect himself. "But… If I am the one to die here… Never trust Clarity. She is not as pure as she seems."

Flint leapt back, preparing his sword. 

As much as Fark wanted to refuse, he knew that a fight would be inevitable. And he didn't blame Flint. Fark had torn through Float and Double, leaving Flint all alone… And loneliness was a person Fark was well acquainted with. It left a hole that he so desperately wanted to fill. Astra and Romalo filled that gap in him...

Flint fighting Fark would perhaps fill that gaping hole in _him_. Fark weakly raised his fists, his wounds still tingling from last night. 

**BOSS 6- Flint**

Determined to land the first hit, Fark dashed towards Flint. Flint sheathed his sword. _Wait, what?_ Fark thought, his eyes narrowing. _I thought we were-_

 **SLICE!** A sword swipe flung Fark away. Disoriented, he landed on his rear with a **thunk!**

Fark looked up to see Flint nowhere in the arena. Fear and confusion took hold of him. "Where d-did he…?"

A shadow popped up over Fark. "Oh. _There_ he is," he murmured, his eyes widening. **SMASH!** Flint kicked Fark across the arena.

Fark rolled across the ground, grunting with each bump. Finally coming to a stop, he shuddered in pain. He gazed up at Flint, and did an internal sigh when he saw the samurai waiting for him to orient himself. _Least he's kinda honorable…_ Fark thought as he raised up. 

He switched to his Power Armor, his visor graciously hiding the terror in his eyes. His legs, however, gave it away with each tremble. 

Flint gave no reaction. His icy blue eye carried a raging flame, as he readied his sword once again. 

Fark lurched forward, preparing a swing. **CLANG!** His knuckles clashed with Flint's sword. Flint's force behind the sword nearly shoved Fark to his knees. Fark put up his shield at the last second, pushing Flint away. 

Fark let loose a barrage of punches. Each one hit their mark, as sounds of crunching came from each blow. More dents littered Flint's armor. 

Flint warped away, leaving Fark swinging at empty air. A burst of wind echoed behind him. He spun around, and countered Flint's blade with a red light.

Fark yelped, as he was launched back. His feet grinding along the ground, he came to a stop near the edge. 

_I… I can't st-stop now…_ Fark forced himself to stay upright. He leapt at Flint, summoning a sphere of energy. 

The energy burnt Flint's body, as smoke curled off him. He remained steadfast, however, only letting out a grunt in pain. He slashed at Fark again, cutting across his chest. 

Fark jumped back and rubbed at the cuts on his armor. He huffed, then blitzed towards Flint. **BANG!** He punched Flint straight in the gut. 

A stuttery wheeze escaped Flint. **FWOOSH!** Wind lashed at Fark. A cyan aura surrounded Flint, as gales raged around him. "Time to end this," he said flatly, pointing his sword at Fark.

"I'm not g-givin' up!" Fark shot back. 

Flint's eye narrowed as he sighed. He disappeared, leaving Fark wildly searching for where he would show up next. 

Flint reappeared in front of Fark, swinging his sword down. Fark parried the blade, **CLANG!** but not Flint's foot. 

**Clunk!** _[System Log] Power Lost!_ Fark's armor fell away, plummeting down the tower. _N-no! My Power Armor..._

Electricity surged through Fark's body. The wind swirling around Flint carried the sparks around the arena. Their eyes locked. 

**KRAKOOM!** Fark shot out a wave of electricity. Flint held his ground, refusing to fall. 

Fark growled, and dashed towards Flint. The two traded vicious strikes. Electric burns scarred Flint's metal. Each sword slash scraped off more and more of Fark's paint. 

Fark had only seen this viciousness once before… When he was fighting the Terminal Dragon, and the Dragon dared to hurt Romalo… _He's fightin' for his friends, too…_ Pity ached in his body, slowing his strikes. 

Flint's attacks started to waiver, too, as his body trembled with pain. 

Fark clenched his fist tight. A dome of red electricity surrounded it. _Time to end it!_

 **BAM!** His fist landed square in Flint's gut. Pain rippled up Fark's arm, causing him to yelp. Flint staggered backwards as his eye glitched.

The two robots stared each other down, studying the other's battle damage. More cracks and scrapes dotted their bodies.

Fark felt his right arm threatening to slip out of its socket. He gripped his shoulder joint, feeling his arm swing limply. He could still feel and move it, which was a relief. _Is this punishment for what I did to E.J…?_ His mind couldn't help but go to E.J's arm crunching underfoot…

Flint's blade quivered. His frazzled hair swayed in the wind, standing on edge from Fark's electricity. 

Wind was the only thing that broke the silence. Neither one of them dared to move.

Until Flint sheathed his sword. He then gave a small bow, signaling the end. "You fought well," he finally spoke up.

Fark returned the bow. "Flint…" he whispered. "I'm deeply sorry…"

Flint gave no acknowledgement. He raised up, and warped away.

Fark heaved a heavy sigh. His eyes drifted down to his shoes. 

After another quiet moment, Fark turned his gaze to the Apocalypse Thruster. It had gotten closer during the fight… 

_Astra… Romalo… Where are you?_ he thought, as he stared up the tower. They promised him they would save the world _together..._

The space station Planetary Stripe was connected to the top of the tower. _Guess that's where I'm headin' next. Astra, Romalo… I'm countin' on ya._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> titantic tower! less tower, more angst from jester and anime sword boys!
> 
> i'm going all psychoanalysis on this robots, like wtf. but yeah. fark's introspective moments aren't sticking with me quite right, but they do capture what he feels atm... still feels extreme guilt over his whole thing, being freom's son and whatnot, but he also acknowledges that he can't be angsting over it, a big ol' rockets about to annihilate the world yo.
> 
> flint on the other hand... woo boy he is not coping well. his whole squad's dead, and he doesn't know what to do, wrestling with potential outcomes in his head...
> 
> dunno why i'm making all these colorful cartoon robots angst so bad. eh. if idw sonic can do some horrifying crap, why can't i? it's kinda fun to write this tho, so i really don't mind. i like feeling evil while also crying >:')
> 
> thanks for reading~! see ya next time!


	10. Memento Mori

**STAGE 12- Planetary Stripe**

_C'mon, c'mon…_ Fark sped through the space port, one hand on his handlebar and one on his still-sore earpiece. _Please, just pick up…!_

Nothing. The silence was near deafening, even with the roar of the bike and the activity of the station. 

Fark glared at his dashboard. _Please…_

**FWOOP! CRASH!**

Fark found himself lying on the metal ground. More cracks formed on his body. His bike laid next to his, completely wrecked. 

_Wh-what happened…?_ Fark thought through the mental fog. His eyes went up to the green barrier behind him. A scan told him it was a gravity manipulator… He was too engrossed to notice it. 

Black tears rolled down his cheeks. First Flint, then his friends not answering, and now crashing his bike… 

Fark slowly raised to his feet. His arm swung loosely from his shoulder socket. He trudged along, limping with pain. 

His destination was even more frightening closer up: the Apocalypse Thruster. Flames blazed from the top, rocketing the Thruster ever closer to the orbital ring and the doom of the planet.

 _I can't mess this up…_ Fark gripped his arm tight, and forced his legs to run. Static coursed up and down his body.

The rings surrounding the road propelled Fark even faster. He leapt off the end of one road, passing through another gravity manipulator. Now paying attention, his fall was much smoother. 

_Hey, this isn't so bad…_ Fark thought as he sprinted along. Running always did help ease his mind, freeing momentarily from his thoughts. And with no enemies in sight… This would've been quite fun, if not for the huge armageddon rocket.

_I hope Astra and Romalo are okay…_

Fark's scanners picked up on ships surrounding the Thruster. A whole fleet's worth. _Another Megaraph Fleet?!_

His mind dug up memories of the frenzy of the Megaraph Fleet. Desperately aiming to reach the Fortress, Spark hot on his trail… And him losing that chance to take Freom down. The wind rushing past him as he rushed down the Stripe reminded him of the fall towards Sunfire Forest…

Spark wasn't here for the heroics, though. Fark had to save the world. Clarity's words rang clear, as she pleaded with him to help save the world.

Then Flint's warning. That Clarity wasn't as pure as she seemed. Fark couldn't help but… _Trust_ Flint. The samurai, while vengeful and terrifyingly strong, seemed like he had no time for lies…

Truths and lies, truths and lies… The line between them was starting to blur for Fark, ever since Technoria… 

If only Armstrong was… Fark sighed. His death was still fresh in his mind, despite the turmoil inside him over the doctor. The doctor treated him the same way Spark, Astra, Romalo did… And yet, he hid the truth from Fark… 

**FWOOP!** Another gravity switch, and stretch of road. Some ships were hovering near the end of the road, the Efilare symbol emblazoned on their wings. Fark saw his ride towards the Fleet!

Charging up a jester dash, Fark shot down the road. The rings warbled with strange noises as they pushed him forward.

 **Clank!** Fark hopped up onto the wing of a ship, right as it began to lift off. He hooked his fingers around a gap in the metal, and braced himself for the ride.

**STAGE 13- Hyperath Fleet**

Fark might've made a mistake leaping straight into a spaceship fight. Small formie ships pelted the larger Efilare vessels with lasers and bombs, to no effect. Just like with the Megaraph Fleet... The vain attempts from the formies trying to save their home made Fark's heart ache.

Fark landed on the top of one of Freom's ship. Immediately breaking out into a run, he dialed Astra again.

" _Kzzt…_ _Zzzt… Bzzzrt…"_

"Astra, please!" Fark yelled above the chaos of the gunfire and the ships sailing overhead.

" _Kzzt…_ Fark-" Astra's pleading voice buzzed through the static. "T-turn _bzt!_ back! Turn back, now!"

 _Turn back?!_ "Astra?! What?! I… I can't turn back!" Fark stammered.

"F-fark… We don't have _zzzt!_ to do this! For your own _krrrzt!_ good!" Astra said before hanging up.

Dread sank like a weight in Fark's gut. Never had he heard Astra so desperate, begging for him to _turn back._ Even when they swore, pinky promised, that they would save the world _together._ Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

Fark called Romalo. He heard the mage stutter with panic when he picked up. "U-um, Fark… _Zrt!_ Can't talk to you right now! See you… _Bzt!"_ **Click!**

Romalo, too?! Fark forced his mind to steady as he bolted through one of the ships. 

More and more calls to Astra and Romalo both. Each and every time, they ordered him to back off. Anger was even starting to bubble in Astra's voice. Romalo sounded like he was on the verge of crying.

Fark dodged through the lasers and fire, exiting the ship on a holographic red road. 

"Astra! Tell me what's going on, please!" Fark cried, as he parried through the fans of the ship he entered.

An exasperated sigh came from Astra. "When you _kzt!_ exit the ship you are currently in," she said hollowly, "there will be a _zrt!_ platform. Land there, and we will talk. Do not call us any more."

**Click!**

The silence drowned out the cacophony of the ship. Fark couldn't believe his ears. The venom in Astra's voice clawed at him. 

He lowered his hand, respecting Astra's wish. He scrambled through the vessel, parrying what he could, and wincing at the attacks that clipped his body.

Going through a loop-de-loop, he landed in a long corridor. "H-huh…?"

**vvvvvvVVVVVVRRR!**

A cyan light glowed at the end of the hallway. Fark's eyes widened. He had just landed in a laser canon. 

He ducked into a groove in the floor. 

**VVVVVVOOOOOOOOMMMM!** The laser fired, barely grazing Fark's back.

The laser petered out, and Fark timidly peeked his head up. The laser cannon's light dimmed as it charged up for another shot. 

Fark saw his chance. He made a mad dash towards the laser, seeing an exit through a hole in the floor.

**vvvvvv…**

_Nononono…_ Fark couldn't possibly parry the laser without overheating. He couldn't die like this. 

**VVVVVVVV…**

Fark dove into the hole, just as the laser fired. He slid down the wall, landing on a ramp. "Phew…"

 **"SHIP SELF-TERMINATION SEQUENCE ACTIVATED. 60 SECONDS UNTIL COMPLETION,"** echoed through the ship.

Oh. 

Letting loose a scream, Fark scampered through the ship. Timers flashed on holographic displays all around him, counting down the seconds until a fiery doom. **54, 53, 52…**

Fark bounced over and countered any and everything he could. No time to slow down! 

**37, 36, 35…**

His joints squealed as they strained under the overexertion. His body felt like it would collapse right then and there…

**21, 20, 19…**

His friends. His friends were waiting on him, no matter how much their cryptic messages horrified him. 

The world needed to be saved. And he wasn't going to let it down a second time.

Fark saw the black backdrop of space twinkling at the exit. _Yes! Yes!_

**5, 4, 3, 2…**

Fark burst out of the ship, sailing towards an arena floating in the middle of the armada. The flames of the ship's explosion lapped at his back, reminding him of his fate of what would've happened if he stayed in there a second too long. 

_That platform…_ He remembered Astra's directions, as she seethed over the transmission. _Astra, Romalo! I can't wait to see you again!_

He ignored the growing premonition, the thought of impending doom lurking in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> told ya stripe n fleet were gonna be rough. however, i feel like I could've done worse than what i have here, so... yay me?
> 
> but yeah. fark is now pure electric jester now, bye bye bike. astra and romalo aren't good at phone calls. fark nearly dies (honestly when doesn't he?).
> 
> but... the real show is with the next chapter. hoo boy, i hope you guys like it as much as i do...
> 
> thanks for reading! see ya next time!


	11. Heartful Cry

Fark skidded onto the platform, nearly falling to his knees. _Holy crap... They rigged that ship to blow up fast…_ With a quick shake of his head, he scanned the area. His eyes trailed up the pillar next to the platform. Up there, he saw a sight for sore eyes. His exhaustion made way for excitement. "Astra! Romalo!" he gleefully said, waving his arms. "You guys got... Here fast..."

Joy quickly faded into confusion and concern. Hardly responding to Fark, Astra stood turned away. Four floating blades hovered at her sides. He had never seen those before. Romalo was with her. With his head down, he looked utterly miserable. 

"... Guys...What's wrong?" Fark questioned. "You've been actin' strange ever since..." He took a step towards the pillar. Astra moved her head to glare at something... Not him. Fark's eyes followed hers, to see none other than _him_.

E.J raised up from the floor. His head whipped around wildly like a scared animal. He cupped his hand over his elbow joint, with the arm Fark crushed gone entirely. Black tears dripped from his chin. "You... You just wanna screw me over some more?!" he seethed. "I just had one job and-"

"You killed the doctor," Fark spat back.

E.J recoiled. His eyes shrunk in alarm. " _Killed_ 'im?! Wh-what?! No! I was only told to put 'im in the mountains! That's all I did!" he cried. "I didn't know he was _killed_! Why would I-?!"

Fark did his own double take. It didn't seem like E.J was playing dumb. "Then... Who did?"

"I dunno! Probably Double, that sick freak!" E.J yelled. He then doubled down, shivering. "Why... Why...?! All I've known is sufferin'! Ever since I was born!" he ranted. "One little mistake in a mission, and then I'm strapped to a table, with Freom tearing me apart, piece by piece! And even then... I've always felt... Disposable!"

"That's because you are," Astra responded, with such an unusual, cruel tone. E.J whirled around to face the pillar, startled. Fark was dumbfounded at such a response... And from sweet _Astra_ , no less.

Astra motioned towards the rows of platforms surrounding the arena. All filled to the brim with copy-and-paste E.J clones. Disgusted, Fark stumbled back. E.J dropped any and all fighting spirit he had left, and fell to his knees. Black tears streamed from his eyes. 

Fark felt a twinge of empathy for E.J. He, too, was just a copy. A tool to get a job done, with no real place in the world. A bizarre desire inside him to comfort the robot, Fark took a step towards E.J.

"No... No... Freom wouldn't... Wouldn't... He _would_ ," E.J mumbled deliriously. "Haha... He thinks it's a sick _joke_... I ain't laughin'. That's... That's it!" Anger dripped from his voice. Then he let out another sad laugh. His eyes big and wide, he turned to Fark. "I'm sorr-"

**SHING!**

His voice was cut short by two blades stabbing through him. Dripping black, the blades jutted through his chest. E.J stuttered, as his eyes dimmed. The blades removed themselves, letting E.J fall with a **CLANG!** Fark instinctively lurched forward. 

Three pink bursts flashed in front of the bleachers of E.Js. **BOOM!** Then they exploded in a crimson blaze. Scorched parts, limbs, even whole bodies fell onto the platform, and down to Luna. Fark watched in horror, his mouth agape.

Astra leapt down from the pillar, unfazed by the flames behind her. The fire shadowed her gloomy face. She took in a deep, unsteady breath. "I'm sorry you had to see that... But, you need to go back. Please, Fark," she begged. "You've finally learned the truth. So have I. If you leave... Nobody has to get hurt!"

Fark shrunk back. "A-astra? What's wrong? You told me to come up here... To the Apocalypse Thruster. Why have you been tellin' me-?!" He tried to keep himself steady. "You're scarin' me..."

Astra winced. "You found out you were Freom's son. And now..." she continued. "You want to join him. It's in your code. I should've never told you to come up here... There's still time though. We can save you..."

"Freom infected you, too! He made you want to come up here! We can fix you!" After a bout of uncomfortable silence, Romalo finally spoke up. "You don't have to join him!"

"Infected?! I'm di-disconnected from the net," Fark retorted. "And... Side with him? No! Astra! I... I want to save the world! Just like you! Remember our pinky promise?!" 

Alarmed, Astra whipped her head up. "You... Don't want to join him?" She gazed down at her shoes in bewilderment. "Why... Am I doing this then?" she asked herself. She then yelped, and curled into herself. Shaking wildly, she seemed to be in pain. 

Fark rushed over to her. "Astra?!"

Like a puppet on strings, Astra raised back up. Her glassy pink eyes drilled into Fark. He gasped, and leaped back. "No. I know why I'm doing this," she said flatly. "You were supposed to save this world. It was the mission Clarity gave to you. Circumstances have changed, however."

 _Never trust Clarity. She is not as pure as she seems._ Flint's warning echoed in Fark's head. "I don't trust this Clarity. I want my friends back! I want to save this world!" he found himself shouting, anger forcing his words out. 

"We're all just given stupid missions, and we're here to carry 'em out, right?! No! I ain't listenin' to that tool anymore, and you shouldn't either!" Fark yelled. "Astra! Romalo! We don't need to fight!"

Astra seemed to fight with herself. Her arm reluctantly rose. "F-fine." Her voice faltered. "You have decided... Decided to d-die." The blades around her all aimed at Fark. Romalo's hands glowed red and blue with energy. He whimpered quietly.

Astra lunged at Fark. Hastily sidestepping, he dodged a swing from her blades. Romalo slashed with his energy swords. The strikes barely missed Fark. He retaliated with a simple shove, pushing Romalo away. 

A blade whizzed past him. It scraped some paint off, nothing new to him. But the fact that it was _Astra_ attacking him made him wail. Astra stopped for a moment. Romalo halted as well. 

Tears of relief came to Fark's eyes. Then Astra spun her blades towards Fark. _Nononono_... Fark thought desperately.

Fark parried the blades, sending them flying. Astra willed them back to her. _Parry. I can keep parrying until-_ **FWOOM**! 

A white explosion behind Fark shoved him to the floor. He heard Romalo stifle a whimper above him. Astra threw two of her blades towards Fark.

Fark rolled away. **SHING!** The blades sunk deep into the metal. Astra was serious. Fark's lower jaw trembled. She wanted him _dead_. Romalo wanted him _dead_. 

Black ooze blinded him. He shakily rose to his feet, trying to see through his tears. Astra rushed towards him, ready with another strike. 

**CLANG!** Fark swiped at Astra, smacking her in the face. The adrenaline, as quick as it flooded him, faded from his arm. He saw Astra holding her cheek, with a wince. "Astra! I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't mean-"

Astra looked up. Her glare filled with unbridled rage shut him up, as she gritted her teeth in a snarl. Fark's lower jaw trembled, as he took a step back.

Astra's blades slashed at him. He raised his shield too late. **CLANG!** A red light exploded from the impact, blowing him away.

Dazed, Fark stumbled around. A sparkly portal appeared beneath him. "Wha-?"

A green sword burned his chest and chin. **CLUNK!** He fell back on the ground.

Romalo hovered above him, his hands hiding his horrified face. 

Fark reluctantly raised back up. His legs wobbled, before he leapt back.

Using her blades as a hoverboard, Astra chased Fark down. He bounced off to the side, just as **SHUNK!** Astra stabbed the floor again.

Fark fled the blades and blasts Astra and Romalo hurled at him. He wildly wiped away his tears, to see the Apocalypse Thruster rocketing ever closer to the planet. He couldn't keep running away... 

_Can I_ _… Can I wear them down? Then maybe I can talk to them…_

Fark nodded at himself. He didn't want to acknowledge the faint voice telling him that he would have to… No. He made the same mistake with Float and Double. He wasn't doing it again.

Fark dodged through the attacks, sneaking in weak hits on Astra. A slug to her arm, sweeping her legs out from her, a shove, weak electrified swipes… All to tire her out. 

It seemed to work, much to Fark's delight. Astra wheezed, her stance shaky. Her limbs swung around, numb from the electricity. Fark trembled, seeing his chance. "Astra... _Please_ ... Listen," he begged. "I can't keep doin' this to you... I don't wanna hurt you! Just _stop_ it, please..."

Astra sucked in a heavy, unnatural breath. "Romalo! To me!" She thrust her arm into the air. Romalo nodded, and dashed over to her. Fark hardly had time to react when the blinding light consumed the area. 

Fark lowered his arm and opened his eyes. Romalo was gone. Astra, hunched over, quivered. "Astra?!" Fark cried. 

Astra flexed out her body, surrounded in a powerful glow. She hovered above the ground. Pure white energy extended from her blades, all pointed at Fark. "It's too late now." Her voice echoed. "Time to die."

No... No. Fark was losing his will to fight. There really was no choice. One of them was going to die to the other's hands... And Fark didn't know _who._ The Thruster loomed ominously in the distance. He needed to save the world... But he had to go through Astra first.

An idea came to him. A horrible, horrible idea. He would shut off his emotional sector. That was what was holding him back. He needed to fight without inhibitions. And utterly maim Astra, with no remorse...

No. He would stop before things got out of hand. He would never do that. Astra would come to her senses before long, too. He knew it. _[System Log] Do you wish to turn off Sector (EM)?_

Fark parried a blade. _[System Log] Shutting down Sector (EM)._ His bewilderment, fear, and grief all ripped away from him, leaving him hollow. Just like what he was when he started his adventure. An emotionless weapon. His eyes lost all of their life, becoming a dull, flat red. _[System Log] Sector (EM) successfully shut down. Current Enemy Count: 1. Current Level of Static Charge: 51%._

Fark flung two blasts at Astra, knocking her off balance. Taking the chance, he burst forward. **CLANG!** He kicked Astra in the gut. Flying across the arena, she landed with a yelp.

Astra raised up, and extended her hand forwards. White-hot lines appeared on the floor. Fark jumped over to a safe spot. **FWOOM!** Energy shot up from the lines.

"Hm. Not bad," Astra quietly said, barely audible over the fleet. 

She spun her blades around her. She sped over to Fark, who parried the blades with ease. 

Noting that Fark no longer hesitated with attacks, she gritted her teeth. _He's up to something,_ she thought.

Astra jumped away. Aiming directly at Fark, she blitzed towards him. Her blades scraped past him. She lined up for another dash. 

**SMASH!** Her blades hit his shield. Ricocheting, she was slung off to the side. **Clunk!** She landed on the platform with a grunt. 

Astra dashed away. Just in time for a blast to hit where she laid. Fark glared at her, before launching another barrage. 

Astra dodged the blasts, before one clipped her side. She screamed. 

Fark gave no reply. This was just another obstacle he had to crush. She was impeding his progress. She had to _fall_. 

The two clashed fiercely. Every slice Astra delivered, Fark retaliated with his own searing-hot blast. Burns began to form on Astra's suit, while the cuts on Fark's body became deeper.

Fark kept blasting and parrying, ignoring both of their injuries. Each forward thrust by Astra sent him backwards, however. Until... His heel no longer hit the floor, now floating over open air. _[System Log] Current Level of Static Charge: 100%. Execute Ultimate Attack?_

Energy swirled around Fark's palms. _[System Log] Charging Ultimate Attack._ He pointed his palms up towards Astra. 

Astra's eyes widened at the red light. They suddenly regained the life they held before. "FARK, WAIT!"

 _[System Log] Ultimate Attack fully charged. Firing. Sector (EM) restarted._ Fark's emotions came roaring back... And his desire to keep Astra alive. 

Too late. **FWOOOM!**

The beam fired. 

" _AAAAAAAAUGH!"_

Fark watched in helpless horror as the crimson blast consumed a screaming Astra.

The smoke cleared, as the red sparks around Fark's body died.

 _[System Log] Current Enemy Count: 0. Current Level of Static Charge: 0%. Current Mission: Accomplished. Mission Priority One:_ **_Failed_** _._

Fark opened his eyes to see the victims of his attack lying on the ground. The fabric of her jumpsuit torn and frayed around it, red sparks jumped from a gaping wound in the twitching Astra's side. Her arm was nowhere to be seen. Electronics crackled in the gash. Her eyes constantly glitched, flickering between blank white sclera and dull pink irises. Romalo laid next to her, his face to the floor. He only suffered mild tears in his hoodie.

"Astra! _Astra_!" Fark screamed as he rushed over. He scooped up Astra, cradling her. "You..." His eyes were drawn to all of the mechanisms revealed in her wound. "You're not..." His words didn't want to come out. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Astra's mouth moved, with no sound. She then violently coughed. She settled back into Fark's arms. His grasp on her tightened.

"I'm not a formie... I'm a robot, like you. I... Couldn't tell you... Because it was against my directive," Astra said. "I am... An agent of Clarity... And she _shouldn't_ be trusted. Aha... I guess it's too late for me now." She chuckled humorlessly, her eyes softening.

Her remaining arm raised up. Fark felt her soothing touch on his face. He placed his hand on top of hers.

"But... Being by you two's side... Made me think differently," she continued. "I didn't want to be her puppet. I wanted to think for myself... I wanted to be free." Spasming, Astra sucked in a strained gasp. Her grimace hurt Fark more than any battle damage he took. Her hand slid off Fark's face.

"Astra! Don't... Don't leave... I don't wanna be alone..." He shook his head. He knew his pleading would do nothing to fix her dire state. He swallowed his begging. "You're... Still my friend, right?"

A weak smile spread on her face. "Of course I am... I wanted to be free... To be with _you,_ " Astra said softly. "Fark... You've grown so _much._ I'm so proud... I'll miss you both. I'm so sorry... For being such a bad friend to you and Romalo..."

Her body went limp in his arms. "Stay safe, for me... Alright? And... Protect the first jester, too. He will... Be in grave danger soon... And he won't be safe alone."

Her head falling to the side, Astra sighed. "Adieu, Fark..." Her eyes rolled into her head, as her eyelids closed. The sparks from her wound stopped. The hum of her machinery faded. 

She was gone. Just like everyone else.

Tears oozed down Fark's face, splattering on her white jumpsuit. "S-sayonara, Astra... I'll miss you too," he whimpered. Something inside of him felt broken. Shattered. Ripped out and stomped on. The churning cesspool of emotions he couldn't grasp finally spilt over. He screamed up towards the stars. 

Fark hugged her corpse. Memories of days prior flooded his head. Astra and Romalo in the snowy landscape of Floresta Blanca. Astra's comforting touch after Float's death. Astra bouncing over Shantoria's rooftops. Romalo gushing over holograms, with Astra smiling softly. The Terminal Dragon staring them down. And their final moments of happiness in Scaria Stropolis... All a distant, fleeting dream. 

He hoped to see Astra and Romalo again. But... Not like this. Not dead in front of him. She, his first friend... Died because of him. He remembered Astra's reluctant embrace, and the fear in her eyes when he left for Titanic Tower… Did she anticipate this fight? Did she anticipate one of them dying…?

Fark wrenched his eyes away from Astra to stare at the Apocalypse Thruster. He needed to keep his promise, even if he died in the process. That was the very least he could do. He laid Astra's body on the floor. He couldn't wallow in sorrow. She wouldn't want him to do that. The world wouldn't want that. 

Fark gazed up towards Romalo, intent on giving the mage one last parting hug, too. But, instead, he saw Romalo staring at him. Those red eyes of his, normally filled with boundless joy, were wide with terror and horror. Small cracks dotted his screen.

""F-fark...?" Romalo quivered. "What... Did you do?" His eyes trailed down to Astra's body. He inched away from Fark. "You... Killed..."

Fark's eyes widened, dripping more tears. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," he whispered, raising up. He then jester charged towards a passing fighter jet. He landed on the wing of the jet. Luckily, it was heading right towards the Thruster. 

His sorrow melted into anger. Rage. Fury.

At Freom.

At Clarity.

At himself.

And he knew just who to take it out on.


	12. An Untamed Heart

The instant Fark set foot in the Apocalypse Thruster, the world drowned in a white burst of light. A familiar warm breeze soothed his aching wounds and heart… And fanned the raging flames burning within him.

He recognized this void, with its unintelligible code swirling around him. And he knew just who inhabited it. She wasn't his main target, yet tearing into her gave him a sadistic glee all the same. His fists twitched for a fight.

"Clarity. Show yourself," Fark commanded. 

The silhouette of the formie appeared, and slowly solidified. Clarity gazed at Fark, her face cold and emotionless. "Don't go any further, Fark-" she began to say.

"Shut _up._ " 

Clarity froze for a moment, her antennae perking up with alarm. A brief glimpse of disgust flashed on her face. " _Excuse_ me?"

"You know exactly what you did. I'm not listenin' to you anymore, you can't be trusted," Fark growled. "You made me kill her. You forced her to attack me."

Clarity fell silent. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips. "... And why do you care about her so much?" Venom dripped from her voice. "You haven't even known her for two days, and yet…"

"She… Astra, Romalo, Spark… They made me feel like I was worth somethin'!" Fark cried. "Like I was a person! Like I had a place in the world, like I wasn't the son of a murderer, like I wasn't just some _clone_!"

Clarity scowled.

"And you two… YOU TWO RIPPED IT ALL AWAY!" Fark screeched. Sparks leapt from his body. "IT'S ALL _YOUR_ FAULT!"

Dashing forward, Fark unleashed a barrage of punches onto Clarity's visage. His fists phased through her body, but he imagined each hit hitting their mark… 

"ENOUGH!" Clarity shrieked, and unleashed a shockwave of red energy. With a scream, Fark was blasted backwards. 

**THUD!** He landed on the ground of the void. The impact echoed in the empty space. A black high heel slammed into the ground next to him. He gazed up to see a vicious grin on Clarity's face. Her veil was torn away, with her black and red eyes wide open with rage. Her white hair jutted out from her head in every which way. The sparking crimson blade of a scythe hung over Fark's head.

"You think I'm gonna let you get away with this, son of Freom?! Killing my daughter, killing the _world_?!" Clarity bellowed. "No way, buster! I _know_ what power you possess… The _monster_ you'll turn into... I'll stop it."

Fark couldn't suppress his trembling at Clarity's shift. The scythe hovering over him didn't help. However, something built up within him. He... Chuckled. Murky shadows grew over his body, transforming him into the creature he saw in Technoria City. He should have been terrified, but yet… His laughter dissolved into mad cackling, as he smashed his clawed fist into the ground.

Clarity stepped back as she watched Fark raise to his feet, her eyes widening. "N-no, I w-was supposed to stop this from happening…!" she mumbled under her breath. Her scythe shook, as she quivered herself.

"I'll show you a real monster, Clarity," Fark said, striding over to Clarity, who was frozen in place. His claws hooked onto her dress, as he raised her up. "I'm goin' to save this world, from people like _you_. I'll rip you to _shreds_."

After a bout of struggling, Clarity wrenched away from Fark's grasp. Unfurling her wings, she flew backwards. " _Save_ this world?!" she snarled. "You threw all my warnings back in my face, and you killed my agent! _I_ will save the world from all of its suffering! I'll make sure you die a slow, miserable death, just like your father!"

"Try me."

"I will." With that, Clarity burst forward, readying her scythe. 

Just before the blade sliced through Fark, the void vanished. The crimson glow of the Apocalypse Thruster washed over him.

Shaking, he felt his body. The fleeting moment of rage and power was long gone. Small and normal, just like before… _Wh-what was that…? I… I wasn't in control… But it felt so_ ** _good…_** Seeing Clarity shiver with fear at that monstrous form of his gave him a painful rush of giddiness… He shook his head.

Clarity's manic grin was burned into his memory. This was the woman who controlled her daughter like a puppet, sealing her fate, not the benevolent savior she tried to make herself out to be…

Freom and Clarity… Both false saviors, building their false "paradises"...

Fark couldn't let that happen. The people of the world rested on his shoulder. The chance of a new start beckoned him forward. 

_I will not fail._ He rushed deeper into the rocket.

**FINAL STAGE- APOCALYPSE THRUSTER**

Fark sped down the winding tracks of the Thruster. " **INTRUDER ALERT!"** wailed over the machinery of the rocket. 

Robots bombarded the roads and platforms. From small Blaz's to hammer-wielding Hell Wheelers, they all had their sights on Fark.

He shredded through the defense force with no care. They weren't his target. His strength was reserved for a special someone. 

Freom silently watched his son blaze through the rocket. Even through a hazy screen, he could see the fury emanating from the jester.

His claws tapped on the armrest of his throne. He knew exactly where his son desired to use that rage. Without a second thought, he felt himself accept the impending future.

It was inevitable that his son would unlock the power contained in him. He had already come close to breaking the lock… All he needed was that extra little push. 

Freom sighed, as he leaned back in his throne. He predicted that he would be the catalyst behind his son's transformation… With that transformation, his son would be able to carry on his legacy. 

That thought made Freom chuckle. As much as the thought dismayed him, he knew that his son wouldn't dare uphold his legacy. That, too, he accepted. His time was drawing to an end. 

Fark darted through the lasers and gunfire. The shrapnel exploding from the floor cut at his metal, yet the pain was near non-existent in his thoughts. 

He had no time for pain from the cuts, with the rocket minutes away from the planet. If he lost, Freom and Clarity would still have their iron grips tight around robots. They would still destroy the world.

The winding tracks in the Thruster made the "staying alive" part rather difficult though. And he thought Titanic Tower's thin platforms were bad… 

Speed boosters launched Fark up a ramp. Towers of flame erupted from thrusters on the ground as he landed on the platform. Red laser guides focused on him, and more of Freom's army whipped around to attack. 

Fark growled with annoyance, having to dispose of more obstacles. The minions charged at Fark, as the lasers fired. 

**BAM! BANG! FWOOM! KZZZZZT!**

Fark ripped and tore his way through the robots, parrying the lasers and thrusters. Shredded, smoking parts littered the ground around his feet. He didn't care. 

He dashed through more of the fire pillars, the flames clawing at his shield. Going up a ramp, he sprinted up a wall. Rings propelled him up the wall, as he dodged the blockades. 

The heat immediately hit Fark like a train as he jumped out of the tube. A fiery blue haze surrounded the platforms, as the Thruster approached the atmosphere. 

_That'll burn me up quick… Can't touch it_ , Fark thought quickly. He bounced across the platforms, and even getting close to the fire caused his paint to boil.

 _His_ pain didn't matter, though. The world's did. He had to apologize for his mistakes- his _existence_ , even.

A pure white light came from the entrance to the main pillar of the Thruster. Fark's eyes locked into the doorway. 

_Freom. Your tyranny won't last any longer_ , he thought, and he bolted into the gateway. _I'll take you down, even if I have to die too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're gettin' there! penultimate chapter before the finale! woot woot!
> 
> so, yeah, clarity, showing her true colors. i've always wanted her to be a bit more... "zany"? energetic, aggressive, to contrast with freom's more serious n solemn personality. dr. eggman n spinel were big influences, 'specially with her scythe
> 
> i also wanted for fark's [spoilers but most of y'all know what's goin' down] to more foreshadowed n referenced to, though we do get some of that in-game. 
> 
> initially, i wasn't gonna do apocalypse thruster, but i wanted to showcase fark's change in demeanor up to the point, and how losing astra and romalo affected him. in a way, you could say i'm reutilizing the scrapped plot point from spark 1 where spark snapped? but instead it's fark losing his friends instead of spark losing his job.
> 
> i never expected to get this far in a fic ever... i'm proud, tbh. i'm glad you guys are following me in this whole thing, i appreciate it so much... thanks for reading, see you for the finale~


	13. Rivers in the Desert

"Welcome, my son," Freom greeted the jester rushing into the throne room. He sat on his maroon throne, overlooking the swirling flames of the room. "It's a pleasure to see you again, even if it will be for a short time…" he purred. No malice or sarcasm layered his voice, much to Fark's bewilderment. 

"Freom, cut the crap," Fark growled. "Why are you crashin' _another_ rocket into Luna? Spark stopped you the first time, why do you think it'll work this time?" He remembered the formie tearing through the Megaraph rocket, slicing away with Fark's super staff.

"You do not know, do you? It all harkens back to my original purpose," Freom replied. He pushed off the throne, looming over Fark. Fark felt dread prickle on his back, as he watched Freom spread his arms out wide. "I was merely the protector of the glorious computer, Megaraph. But… Why would Dr. Armstrong require such a gargantuan computer?"

"It was for the mass-production of A.Is," Fark answered venomously. Why wouldn't the guardian of Megaraph know its only function?! "Before _you_ hijacked it, that is."

"Don't you know it's rather rude to interrupt?" Freom scolded with a wag of his finger. "Didn't I teach you that?"

 _No, because you're a horrible dad!_ Fark snarkily thought.

Freom shook his head. "But, yes, indeed. It could even make A.Is like you or me. That is where we were both born, in fact," he then agreed. "However, it had another purpose, one never made public. It housed an A.I meant to protect Luna: Clarity."

The mere mention of Clarity sent ripples of red electricity up and down Fark's arms. That crazed smile of hers, looking down on him like he was a pebble… He snarled. Freom sighed, unfazed. 

"Clarity was meant to protect all of life, at any cost," Freom resumed his explanation. "It became increasingly difficult to keep an eye on these formies, though, and some were even getting particularly adventurous with attacking Megaraph… We began putting them in biodomes, for the protection of both parties."

"Then Spark stopped you. You should've _stayed_ down," Fark said, taking a step forward. The raging storm inside him threatened to burst out at any second.

"But, how could I? That failure is when Clarity realized something," Freom replied, as he studied the livid Fark. "Formies, no matter what she did, would always endanger themselves and each other… They constantly threatened life. Clarity concluded that she must end all life. There would be no threat, if there was no living soul to do so…"

 _Protectin' life… By killin' it?!_ Fark stumbled back with a gasp. "What kind of sick sense of justice is _that?"_

"That, I will never know…" Freom said quietly. "Clarity also came to see _our_ kind as a threat, too. She plans on eradicating everything on Luna. I will _not_ let her do such a thing!" he declared, with a dramatic sweep of his arm.

Fark remained silent, pondering. 

"I couldn't simply eliminate her at the source, though," Freom said. "She spread out all of her code, like a virus. She is corrupting more and more robots."

 _And you aren't?_ Fark crossed his arms.

"And to get rid of her... The Apocalypse Thruster will crash into Luna, killing all life, and Clarity herself!" Freom yelled.

As if on cue, the rocket rumbled deeply. Fark lurched forward, grunting. _The rocket's gettin' closer to Luna!_ he thought, alarmed.

Freom opened a hand towards Fark. "Join me, my dear son," he said, his tone softened. "With you by my side, we will be able to rebuild from the ashes! We will create a world where each citizen is built for their own purpose. No more sorrow, no more pointless brawls, no more wasted life..."

Fark clenched his fists. Rage filled his shaking body. "Over a mountain of corpses…?" he said quietly. "A mountain of _wasted life?!_ " His scream echoed throughout the room. "No! _No!_ What is _wrong_ with you?! I ain't a destroyer, like you!" To think Fark would actually _want_ to be with Freom… It made him _sick_.

Freom somehow found it comical. A low chuckle built up from him. "What's so funny?" Fark glared at Freom.

Dissolving into a mad cackle, Freom threw his head back. "You?! _Not_ a destroyer?! Do you have any recollection of the lives you ruined throughout this little quest of yours, son?!"

The storm within Fark fizzled out. His eyes widened. "No…"

"Oh, _yes…_ You snatching Spark's job away threw him in quite the depressive slump. Perhaps you remember nearly killing him in a fit of rage?" Freom pressed, floating closer to Fark. "Float, a young girl who only wished to save her friend… She died, because of _you_."

Sorrow doused Fark's anger. Memories flooded his head. Spark trembled underneath the end of an emerald spear, directed right at his chest. Float choked out an apology, before smashing into the ground.

"Flint, utterly consumed with grief, losing all that he's ever known… And your brother…" Freom carried on. "All he wanted was to be as good as _you._ He thought you robbed him of the attention I gave to him. He died in your shadow."

Fark's legs gave out beneath him. He fell to his knees. Tears oozed from his eyes. More memories burned him. Flint scraped his back with the edge of a sword. And... Fark's brother? His mind couldn't help but go to E.J, and his desperate breakdown in the middle of Hyperath Fleet. 

"And _dare_ I mention that Astra girl? You had quite the fondness for her... And you killed her, too. It was because she was in your way, right?" Freom calmly described. "And poor Romalo... You enjoyed his company, too, right? I can still hear his pleading into empty air."

This ripped open fresh wounds in Fark's mind. Astra's final smile, at him, her murderer. Romalo's horrified face at him holding her body. "SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, **SHUT UP**!" Fark screeched. Wildly shaking his head, he flung his tears everywhere.

"Mm… I _do_ believe I touched quite the sensitive nerve there…" Freom said smugly. Descending down, he stopped in front of Fark. He gently raised his son's head up with his hand. Fark's hands dropped from his face, hitting the ground. "You have nobody to turn to… Except _me,_ " Freom purred. "I am here for you. So, what will it be, boy?"

Freom's voice was soft and comforting. Fark felt broken. However, something burned inside of him. It screamed at him to keep going. _To keep fighting. To join him... Would violate Mission Priority One: Save them. I… I cannot give up._ "... I know what I want," he said shakily, his eyes closing.

"Hm?"

Fark struggled to find his voice. “So many people… Happy. Friends and family… Travellin’, workin’, playin’... No matter what…” he murmured, “they all looked so _happy_.”

Freom tilted his head, listening silently.

“Even after all he went through… Spark still looked _happy._ I want that happiness,” he said louder. Spark’s tired, yet joyful smile flashed in Fark’s head. With a surge of renewed determination, Fark removed his head from Freom’s hand. “I want to _protect_ it. Even if I die tryin. I made a promise to my friends! I’m going to _keep_ it!” **SMACK!** Fark backhanded Freom’s hand away.

“What?! You little-!” Freom’s composure cracked for a mere moment. He pulled his hand to his chest. Massaging it, he glared at Fark. “... That’s _unfortunate_. We could’ve been great together…” He hovered away. Energy pulsed in his palms. “Now come! Let’s see if you are truly capable of protecting that happiness!”

Fark raised to his feet. Red sparks leapt from his hands. He opened his eyes, which glowed with rage. “I _am._ Don’t you ever forget it, Freom.” The rekindled storm inside him gave welcomed energy. The image of Spark was joined by Astra, Romalo, Dr. Armstrong... They all smiled at him. He wanted to protect their happiness. It was what he was fighting for. That's the reason he fought so hard. That is what he truly desired.

“Confident now, are we? Where did _this_ come from?” Freom commented, curling his fists. 

“My friends. This is for them,” Fark replied. “This is for all the people of this world! I will protect them and the earth I stand on!” he bellowed. “You’re going down!” He pointed at Freom, electricity building up in his hand. “And when _you’re_ gone, I’ll rip Clarity to shreds.”

Freom couldn’t help but utter a small gasp, shocked at Fark’s steely resolve. The world kept pummeling him, beating him down… And yet, he wanted to _protect_ it? Freom chuckled softly. If only _he_ had such hope for this world…

 _This is for them. Spark. Dr. Armstrong. Float. Flint. Romalo. E.J. Astra. All for them. They need to be happy again. I will save them!_ "Let's go," Fark declared, boosting towards Freom.

**FINAL BOSS- Freom Mk. 3**

Fark launched the first blast. Freom threw his own, **BOOM!** with the two projectiles colliding in the air.

Freom shot out fiery pillars that fanned out from his body. Fark weaved through the lasers. 

Freom swiped at Fark, who summoned his shield and blocked the punch. In retaliation, Fark smashed his foot into Freom's gut. The synthetic muscle crunched underneath.

Freom snagged Fark's ankle, and hurled the robot across the fiery void. Grunting, Fark skidded along the floor. **Bzzt!** He summoned two spheres of electricity. "Take this!" Fark yelled, chucking the projectiles.

Freom chuckled and countered with his own energy blasts. **BOOOM!** Smoke erupted from the blasts' collision, clouding the area. 

Fark waved away some of the smoke. **vvvvvvVVVRRRR…** "Huh?!" 

He rolled off to the side, right as a pillar of white-hot energy shot out of the ground.

"Not bad," Freom commented.

Fark just growled, and sped towards Freom. **BANG!** He barreled into Freom’s chest, shocking the robot in the process. Freom let out a small cry, as red electricity numbed his limbs. Fark leapt away.

“Try taking this on for size!” Freom declared. A wave of heat rippled through the arena. 

Fark quickly summoned his shield. Explosions consumed the air around him. Stumbling, he struggled to keep his shield up.

He opened his eyes, seeing the fiery void blazing even brighter. “Wha-?”

“I will not let you win that easily, my son,” Freom said, crossing his arms. “Come now, let’s not hesitate!”

“I’m not!” Fark yelled back. Parrying the blasts Freom hurled, he countered with his own punches. Freom slammed his foot down, kicking Fark to the ground.

**vvvvvvRRRRRRR…**

_Not again…!_ Fark thought, as he scrambled away on his hands and knees. **BAM!** Another pillar of flame. 

“You cannot keep dodging forever,” Freom taunted. As Fark raised to his feet, he blasted at the jester. Fark screamed as the blast scorched his back.

“Now that was just _nasty_ ,” Fark grumbled. 

“Not that you haven’t pulled anything of that sort before, son!” Freom retorted, before a red projectile exploded in his face. “... Point proven.”

The two glared at each other with mutual disdain, before resuming the fight. 

Fark willed his body to keep fighting. The injuries from days prior surged with pain, and Freom’s claws and blasts layered on more wounds. 

However, Freom began to wear thin as well. His drapes were dotted with electrical burns. His metal and synthetic muscle were covered in dents and scrapes. 

Fark parried another swipe. _[System Log] Static Charge at: 100%._ A wave of panic overwhelmed him, immediately reminded of his ultimate attack killing…

No, no… He let his memories drag him down before. He had to keep looking forward, so he could give them the happiness they deserved.

_[System Log] Executing Ultimate Attack._

**FWOOOOM!** Fark launched the crimson blast at Freom.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Freom bellowed, as black shadows armored his body. The flames burned a blood red, as shadows jutted out from the ground.

Fark quivered with fear. A shadowy blast in front of his feet ripped him back into reality. He sped through Freom’s barrage. 

**BANG!** He parried a dropkick from Freom, black haze erupting from the collision. He swiped at Freom, slashing through the shadows. 

_I can’t let my fear take over…_ Fark shakily thought.

Freom continued his onslaught, blasting and kicking at Fark. Fark returned the favor. Slowly, slowly, Fark chipped away through the shadows cloaking Freom. If only _he_ didn't fall first, he might very well win...

Freom raised his fists above his head, intent on finishing it all. Clenching his fist, Fark noticed a sizable chink in Freom’s armor. 

He wound up, pouring all of his battery power into his fist. “THIS IS MY LIFE! I WON’T LET YOU WIN!” he screeched. 

**KRAKOOOM!**

Fark’s fist collided with Freom’s chest. Electricity exploded from the clash. Pain rippled up Fark’s arm.

“ _RRRRRRAUGHHHH!!!”_ Freom’s wail echoed in the void, as his body convulsed with explosions. Fark dashed away, watching Freom fall limp.

“I d-did… it…” Fark stammered, massaging his wounds. “I… I beat…”

His thoughts were cut short with a flurry of lights flashing around them both. The searing light blinded him, burning his metal. “Augh!” 

The light was too much to handle. Fark’s body seized as well, as he collapsed into darkness.  
  


Nothing but a blank, white void. Even the space Clarity inhabited had some semblance of life. This had no data, no polygon, no movement…

Until Fark stirred. A _Low Battery!_ warning flashed in his HUD. Shakily rising, he noted his legs felt like weak jelly. He took a moment to study his battered body, missing chunks of metal and most of its paint.

He wearily studied the void. A gray throne stood on the horizon. He blinked.

Suddenly the throne was inches away from him. Fark stammered, nearly falling back down. A small gray and red robot sat on the throne, its body strikingly similar to Fark's own. Pointed red lenses hid its eyes, and worn armor laid on its chest and limbs. Its joints creaked as it lifted its head. 

"Do you see it now, my son…?" it spoke, Freom's smooth bass echoing around the area. He shifted in his throne, but he seemed securely fastened to the seat. "Do you see the reason for your creation?"

"Is this… Your original body?" Fark asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Original… And _only_ body," Freom answered. He hung his head sorrowfully. "You see, my central nervous core is deeply tied to this vessel…" He laid a hand on his chest, as his voice dropped to a whisper. "Any sort of removal would result in my death."

Freom met his son's eyes once again. "A transfer of consciousnesses was impossible. It would only produce a clone," he continued. "It is an artificial weakness the doctor forced upon me, in case of the event I went rogue… Any and all bodies you have fought prior may've held my data…" Freom turned away. "But, were truly not me. They were only remote controlled."

Fark gasped quietly, to which Freom ignored. "This body… It is slowly failing, too weak, too inferior… And if the formies ever found it, I would be powerless to stop them, chained to this throne…" Freom growled. "If this body was ever discovered and killed, I couldn't have carried on my will." Jittery and slow, his hand moved up to point at Fark. "That is who you are, dear Unit-2. A copy, a backup of all my fundamental data. My _legacy._ "

Fark remained silent for a moment, processing the information overload. Finally he spoke. "You're hidin' somethin'." His eyes narrowing, he inched closer to the throne. "That ain't all there is. I _know_ it. There's too many loose ends-" He had so many questions just waiting to spill out of him. Why was he the clone of some jester? What did Armstrong lie about to him? How-

"You'd be correct," Freom interrupted Fark's train of thought. "You possess a power not even my best combat bodies have- the power to transform into a stronger body at will."

Caught off guard, Fark couldn't help but stumble. That wasn't what he was expecting in the slightest! "Wh-what?! That's impossible," he exclaimed, still a little bewildered. He then shook his head. Freom was just trying to confuse him. He only had his super staff, which A) wasn't a _true_ body change, and B) Spark didn't return it, which Fark painfully experienced the consequences of. Rude.

Determined not to fall for Freom's deception, Fark crossed his arms. "You're lyin'. You're pullin' things out of your a-"

Wind rushed overhead. A horned shadow grew over Fark. His arms dropped, as he gazed up the lean and muscular robot hiding Freom's true body. With a whimper, he stepped back.

"It isn't," the robot spoke with Freom's voice. He pulled his leg backwards. "You just need a little…"

 **CLANG!** Freom's foot smashed into Fark's face. Screaming, Fark was launched back.

 **FWOOM!** Freom blasted after the flying jester. He snatched Fark out of the air with his bandana. "... Push, my son."

 **CLUNK!** Freom hurled Fark to the ground. 

_I'm going to die._ Fark's head spun. _He's going to kill me… I can't die here! I can't! No!_

What shocked Fark the most was the immense amount of _rage_ he felt. It completely overshadowed his desire to stay alive. Using this rage, he slowly pushed himself up.

_[System Log] Activating Unit-2 Mk. Ultima._

Fiery pain exploded all across Fark's body. Screaming, he fell back down with a **THUD!**

He curled into himself. His body contorted, twisted, and bent, all beyond his control. The horrific sound of screeching metal filled the area. His pain receptors felt like they were cranked to the max, just for sadism's sake.

No longer fitting his chest, his arms and legs grew. **THUMP!** Then his torso grew to match. Claws tore through the seams of his gloves. The metal on his body split with a sickening sound, new metal filling in the gaps. Tears blinded him. Ooze rolled down his burning, shifting face. Clawing at his body, Fark yearned for the pain to end.

"Fre-freom?!" Fark finally sputtered in between wails. "What did… Did you _do_ to me?!" Morphing alongside his body, anger turned into desperation. "Make it stop! _Please!"_ He buried his face into the ground, trying to stifle his screams.

"Hm." Freom merely observed the writhing, transforming Fark. "All according to plan… There does seem to be some side effects, though it'll all be worth in the end, son."

The tortuous pain finally reached its peak. Lifting his head high, Fark wailed his loudest. Crimson lights consumed his vision. His body involuntarily flexed out.

The flash of light ebbing away, Freom lowered his hand. A large, bulky yellow robot stood in front of him. 

Cyan strips dotted his arms, legs, and chest. His arms and legs twitched, static running down them. Red and blue ribbons ran down his back. 

Fark opened his eyes. Red hot electricity buzzed around him. Pain still pounded around his body, but it was nothing compared to the rage brewing in him. He no longer felt the storm within. He _was_ the storm. This was _his_ power.

He focused on Freom. One thought entered his mind: his fist through Freom's gut.

**ULTIMATE FINAL BOSS- FREOM MK. ULTIMATE**

**SAVE THE WORLD!**

"Ohoho! Brilliant!" Freom broke the silence with a strange glee. "I knew it was only time before you awakened before your _true_ power!" He lifted his hand high, a swirling black and red rapier forming in his grasp. "Time for some long overdue training, son!"

Fark instinctively fell into a fighting stance. "I'LL RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!" he snarled. "I'LL MAKE YOU _PAY!_ " 

"Oh! It seems like this form accentuates your hotblooded attitude…" Freom commented. "No matter! I have no doubt that you'll impress me!"

Lunging forward, Fark prepped his claws for a swing. A metallic **CLANG**! sent shivers down his spine. His claws collided with Freom's rapier. "Hm," Freom hummed. He simply kicked Fark away. 

Fark landed with a **THUMP!** onto his rear. He screamed, full of anger and embarrassment. Freom winced. "You sound dreadful, my boy. Do tone it down." 

"YOU'RE JUST NOW TRYIN' TO FATHER ME?!" Fark snarled. He raised to his feet. Willing static to his hands, a pulsing sphere formed in front of him. "WHERE WAS THIS EARLIER?! YOU DEADBEAT DAD!"

Freom let out an offended gasp. It made Fark sadistically giddy, to get under his skin like that. Fark launched the blast towards Freom. 

**BOOM!** It made sound contact. Smoke curled off Freom's side. He gripped his rapier tighter. "Good, good..."

 **SHING!** A blade clipped Fark's side. "Now it's my turn," Freom purred, face to face with Fark. He swung his rapier down at Fark.

Fark raised his arms. The rapier collided with his shield. Freom pulled his sword back for another swing. 

**BAM!** Fark smashed his fist, encased in red energy, into Freom's face. He then kicked Freom in the chest, flinging him away. "FAT CHANCE!" Fark screamed.

"Not bad, not bad," Freom commented, his fingers brushing against the indent in his chest. Fark curled his fists tighter. 

Freom dashed forward, slicing at Fark. Fark sidestepped away, his eyes locking with Freom’s.

Fark pounced, his fists and claws flying. Some hits clashed with Freom's rapier, others hitting their mark on his body. A cackle escaped him, seeing the cuts and cracks pile up on Freom.

Fark clocked Freom's face with a left hook, then a right. He lifted his leg, ready for a kick. 

Freom's hand wrapped around Fark's ankle, inches away from his jaw. "Hm. Just a little too slow. Work on that."

Just like that, Freom released Fark. No retaliation, no scalding words… Fark bounced away on his grounded foot, setting his other back on the floor. "H-huh?!"

Freom lifted his rapier up. **Clack!** He swiped it down, and it morphed into a staff, the butt hitting the ground. "Let's try something different. Can you handle this?"

"OF COURSE I CAN!" Fark shouted back. "NO MATTER WHAT YOU THROW AT ME, I'LL TEAR IT UP ALL THE SAME!"

Freom gave a quiet, disdainful sigh. “So vulgar…”

Fark repeated the same rushdown approach from before. Freom, however, dodged with ease. Fark’s punches barely clipped him. 

“WHAT?!” Fark screamed, enraged.

Freom chuckled darkly. “I learn just as quickly as you, my boy.” He leapt up into the air, catching Fark off guard.

“WHERE-?!” Fark’s head swiveled upwards. **VWOOM!** A crimson dome of energy erupted from where Freom stabbed the ground. Fark flew backwards.

 **CLANG!** He hit the ground hard with a loud grunt. “I… I...” He barely had time to stand before more explosions collided with him. 

Fark whimpered, as he held his head. A hand snagged onto his scarf, lifting him up. He found himself staring into Freom’s face. 

“Tsk, tsk… And you thought you were doing so _well_ ,” Freom sighed. 

**KRRNCH!** “AAAUGHHHH!”

Freom rammed his knee into Fark’s gut. His metal crunched underneath. Freom let him fall to his knees. He groaned, black tears trickling down his cheeks.

“So many opportunities to parry, to dodge... “ Freom said, shaking his head. “Yet, you want to rush forward with no plan at all? You’re letting your anger consume you. Do not let your emotions get the best of you, my son.” With that, he booted Fark away. 

**CLUNK!** Fark fell onto the ground again. He was becoming quite acquainted with it… _He’s… He’s_ **_right._ ** _I’ve just been rushin’ and rushin’, lettin’ myself get hurt…_ he thought. _It’s just puttin’ me back at square one, and I don’t have time to be at square one…_

Fark closed his eyes for a moment. He felt two gentle pairs of arms hug him, just for a fleeting moment. He knew why he was fighting. He couldn’t fail them. _We’ll save the world together, right…?_

 _We will!_ Two faint voices replied back, as quiet as a breeze, yet as deafening as a thunderclap. _We’ll fight as one, together till we’re gone…_

Fark’s eyes flew open, just as Freom smashed his foot down. He bounced up and back, Freom’s foot hitting the ground. 

Fark landed, straightening up. “Let’s go,” he said firmly.

Freom studied the new fire burning in Fark’s eyes. “Good, good… Letting your emotions run rampant will never land you anywhere pleasant…” he commented wistfully.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” Fark replied, raising his fists.

“Let’s continue, then!” 

The two blitzed towards each other. No longer blinding himself with his rage, Fark landed his blows with precision, and parried Freom’s lunges. 

Freom thrust his spear forwards. Fark weaved through the jabs, before slugging Freom in the jaw. With a grunt, Freom stumbled back, holding his face. 

He shook his head, ignoring the pain. His eye scanned the area. Fark was nowhere to be seen. "Hm? Now where did you…?" 

A pair of arms wrapped around Freom's waist, their hands clasping together. Freom found himself hauled up into the air, up and over, and… **CRACK!**

Arched backwards, Fark drove Freom into the ground, Freom's horns piercing the floor. Fark released Freom, straightening back up. Freom fell onto his back, and his horns dislodged from the ground. 

Fark raised his foot up for a stomp, before Freom rose up. Fark jumped back, clenching his fists. Freom's spear flickered, losing some of its power. He panted. "Now _that_ was a risky maneuver…" He trembled with pain.

"Anythin' to make sure you stay down," Fark replied.

" _Anything…?_ " Freom mused. "You aren't holding back, now are you?"

"Never _was_. What, are you?" Fark couldn't help but let some confusion slip through his voice.

Freom chuckled. "I suppose I was wrong to hold back until now. If you can beat me like this… Then you truly are the worthy heir." 

Fark scowled. He prepared to raise his shield. 

**VWOOM!** Crimson shockwaves rippled through the air. Fark countered the waves, as they rocked his shield. 

Fark opened his eyes, seeing a fiery red and black aura surrounding Freom. No weapons, just his fists were raised. Their eyes met, each recognizing the determination in each other.

Fark gave a solemn nod. _This is it, the_ _final round… The end is so near. It's time to face my fears…_ "Let's go."

Freom returned the nod, before charging towards Fark. 

Sounds of metal crunching rang in the air, as the two traded blows. Freom flipped upside down, swinging his leg at Fark. **CLANG!** Fark blocked with his forearm, and kicked Freom away. 

Freom righted himself, before dashing back towards Fark. “Ngh!” Fark grunted, as Freom’s fist grazed his face. 

Freom punched again, his knuckles hitting Fark’s shield. Fark slammed his shoulder into Freom, before dropkicking him.

“Hahaha!” Freom laughed through the hits. “Yes, yes! This is exactly what you built for, my son! You will be the perfect heir!”

“No… No…” Fark growled. “I will never be your heir. I will never be your legacy!”

He knew that he couldn’t deny his heritage, his code… It would forever be entrenched in him that he is the son of Freom, and he could never run away from that.

But, this was _his_ power. Not Freom’s. Fark was free to do whatever he wanted with his strength. His free will wasn’t a lie, it wasn’t too late for him. And he knew exactly what to do with his power. 

Fark unleashed a flurry of punches. **BANG!** “FREOM!” **CLANG!** “I WILL NEVER LET YOU WIN!” **BAM!** “THE WORLD DESERVES TO BE HAPPY!” **SMASH!** “I NEED TO MAKE IT RIGHT! I WILL MAKE IT RIGHT!”

Freom barely managed to fly away. He huffed, his body obviously failing. “Hah… Hah… The final test!” **FWOOM!**

Fark found himself on the ground, Freom slamming him down. **BANG BANG BANG!** Freom violently stomped down on Fark’s chest, the metal caving underneath.

“No! I won’t lose!” Fark spat out between stomps. Finding a pause, Fark pushed himself up and flipped away. Freom’s foot hit the ground. 

“Don’t let your guard down now!” Freom yelled. He thrust his palm forward, energy illuminating it. He let loose a laser directly at Fark.

The blast consumed Fark. Pain didn’t register at all. He marched through the beam. “This is for me,” he began to say. “Spark. Dr. Armstrong. Double, Flint, Float. Romalo! Astra! THE WORLD! THIS IS WHERE YOU DIE!”

 **KRRRNCH!** Fark's fist went straight through Freom's gut, jutting out from his back. The laser immediately cut off. A small groan escaped Freom.

With one quick motion, Fark removed his fist. **Thud**. Freom fell to the floor. Red flakes floated from the gaping hole in his gut. 

Fark set his eyes on Freom's true body. Marching over, he loomed over the throne. Cold anger filled his glare. 

"The end... Has finally come for me," Freom said solemnly, as he looked up at Fark. "But... At least you will carry my legacy."

Father and son locked eyes for one last time. Freom clearly saw the answer in Fark's eyes. 

"No." Fark thrust his palm forward. Crimson electricity illuminated Freom's face. "Burn for all I care. Your legacy dies with you."

Lowering his head in acceptance, Freom sighed. 

A ruby red explosion consumed the area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp. this is it... only the epilogue is left. to think i got this far with this... thank you. all of you. i'm still not the most confident in my work, but... you guys certainly helped boost it up from where it previously was.
> 
> thank you, again. this was quite the ride, and i'm glad i got to experience it in the first place.
> 
> so... freom is finally defeated. however, clarity still remains...


	14. The War Still Rages Within

With the cities consumed in a fiery red light, it truly seemed the apocalypse was moments away. Formies and robots alike stared at the rocket hurtling towards the planet. Was it speeding up? Was it exploding? Whatever it was, they braced for the end.

The light ebbed away, leaving just sunlight. Confusion replaced the prior terror. The rocket had disappeared without a trace. Just the blue sky and the orbital ring remained.

Sparkling red stardust spread across the sky. Silence hung over the entire planet.

One enormous, united cheer erupted from the formies and robots, thanking the mysterious, miraculous force that saved their world. They hugged, and laughed, and cried. They had once again survived Freom's plans for extinction…

One particular yellow formie stared at the fading red light and stardust. His heart still thundered his chest from the rocket hovering over the world minutes prior.

Stardust fell onto the beach all around him, glittering in the sand. He clutched his sunglasses, uttering a "n-no way…" He laid his book onto the folding table next to him, as he left his beach chair.

Memories of a month prior flashed in his mind. "Th-that… How did he come back…? W-who…? It couldn't have been…"

He couldn't deny the immense feelings of both relief and dispair soaring in his chest. "Fark…"

On the hills of the F.M mountain range, a robot and a formie stood. The robot's hand clenched the weary formie's wrist like a vice.

"... Do you think he's still alive?" Flint asked Dr. Armstrong, emotionless. They watched the stardust spread across the land. 

"... I believe in him. He has to be," Dr. Armstrong earnestly replied. His eyes held overwhelming hope.

Flint sighed. Sometimes, he wished he had even a shred of that optimism, especially with the heavy weight in his heart. "This is all your fault, you know," he seethed, his eye glaring at the doctor. His grip on the doctor tightened. The doctor was far too weak to ever fight back, but Flint didn't want to take chances. "I am surprised you are even _alive_."

His eyes widening, Dr. Armstrong winced. "Oh goodness, I d-didn't..."

"Enough talking," Flint ordered. "We've got a bigger threat to deal with. Now get moving." He marched off the hill, Dr. Armstrong dragging behind him.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" **CRASH**!

The ground rumbled from the impact. Then the night fell silent again. A smoldering crater sat in the middle of the snowy forest. A faint red glow came from it. The transformed yellow robot lay in a smoking heap.

His eyes fluttered open, as the haze cleared. A groan escaped him. Struggling to his hands and knees, he studied the snowy debris surrounding him. Snowflakes and red stardust drifted slowly to the ground. An empty void settled on his chest as he watched the snow fall, reminded of happiness long gone. 

He dragged himself out of the hole, his claws scraping against the rocks. He gripped the rim of the crater, and hefted himself up and out. He couldn’t stop himself from letting out raspy pleas for help. 

No reply, as expected. He was alone, of course, just like before. He laid there, with oily tears pooling up near his face as he gently sobbed. 

_No… I can’t do this,_ he thought, as he clenched his fists. _I got this far… I can’t just lie here and die now… I have a mission._

But… How could he complete it alone…? Who could help him? Everyone from his minuscule pool of friends was gone…

Except one. His mind immediately went to that smiling formie, extending his hand out in a friendly gesture.

Maybe _he_ could help again… He was already so kind to the robot…

_When I save them… I’ll go to F.M City._

Steeling himself, he slowly raised to his feet. He wiped away his tears, smearing the black across his face. With a sigh, he marched off, the snow crunching underneath. The crater in the ground disappeared on the night horizon, but the one in his heart still persisted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, this is it. thank you all again for accompanying me on this whole fic, i never expected to ever publish this in the first place, especially with such positive reception...
> 
> when i first wrote the draft of heartful cry on june 2nd, 2019, i never expected to get this far with this fic, especially with actually finishing it. now here i am, a year later, seeing all finished before me. this definitely ain't no literary masterpiece but... i'm proud.
> 
> well, i don't where to go exactly after this. i do have some other spark fics in the works, mainly a spark 3 one, but that one's gonna go through some real overhauling before i even consider publishing it haha. also have a prequel fic, but that's really not finished either. 
> 
> maybe a short story collection? also kinda considering writing about astra n e.j during the events of this fic, and what they're up to while the camera ain't on them. or maybe some renegade trio stuff
> 
> again, thank you all so much for reading. i'm so happy i got to share this all with you. thank you. stay sparkling~


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